Cleaning gunk from the river

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GLASSHOPPER55

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When you immerse the bottle in the mix, fill it inside also and stand it up then pour more mix around it (in a tall container) and cover it. I use a stiff bottle brush inside the bottle. If the gunk is still sticking, immerse longer in the mix. When done, pour the used mix back into your mix bottle-it will turn brown but it is reusable over and over.

Yes lye can burn you so use rubber gloves and don't breath it (or any mix). Better to be safe. Lye is used widely by soap makers. It's also in oven cleaners (see "sodium hydroxide on labels). It's still much less nasty than muriatic, which left to open air will rust/corrode shiny metal in the room it's in.
 
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sandchip

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I've used muriatic acid for years. Soak the bottle for a day or two and usually the black stuff is just gone. I pour out back into my plastic pan all but an inch or so, pour in an inch of blasting sand and shake it good to get out stubborn spots inside. Insulators did take some scrubbing with a stainless pot scrubber. Use long acid resistant gloves and goggles. Good ventilation outside. Take care not to splash or splatter. My plastic pan has a cover, so I just leave the acid in it, but as Glasshopper said the vapors will corrode any metal in the area, so be particular how and where you store it.
 
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FreeRangeAsparagus

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Btl_Dvr, do you dive for your bottles as well? I am having a hard time finding other folks who do, even outside of this forum. I think I just haven't found the keyword for it yet.
 

bottlebuddy

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Try putting water & efferdent (denture cleaner) inside the bottles & let them soak for a day or so. I have used this method many times & it has worked well on getting sticky substances & other residue out, along with scrubbing with a wire bottle brush, but let them soak before scrubbing.
 

American

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OXI does a pretty good job if you can leave it soaking for a day. It's not caustic like some of the other suggestions here
 

Huntindog

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Muriatic acid will eat concrete too, so don't splash it on your patio...
I've used this before with good results.
Long Rubber gloves, a splash shield for the face, a full body rubber apron and outside in good ventilation.
I know maybe a bit of over kill, I like to be cautious.
 

WesternPA-collector

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Once you have let it soak in whatever substance you decide on using, put some rice into the bottle and shake it aggressively for about 5-10 minutes. Rice will get to almost every spot inside if you use enough.
 

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