Cleaning algae and river scum?

[Niko]

I collect bottles mostly from rivers and i am trying to find a good way to get the black scum off them. I have tried sand but i hear that can scratch them and i don't want to use a tumbler... Any ideas?

 

[dirtflicker]

tumbling is the best meathod.......probably not what you wanted to hear but it's true......[8|]

 

[JGUIS]

Greased Lightning from the dollar store. Get the mud out first, spray some of that stuff in there and let it sit for a few. It should brush right out. While at the dollar store, get one of the toilet brushes with the wire that forms a loop and cut one side of the loop at the handle and straighten it out.

 

[Niko]

I live quite close to a dollar store so i will try that. Thanks for the tips.[]

 

[cc6pack]

might want to try something like a brillo pad. takes a little elbow grease but it works.

 

[Niko]

I went to "Dollar Tree" today and they did not have Greased Lightning... but they do sell "bottle cleaning brushes" made for cleaning bottles, so i picked one of those up. I have had the best luck with sand. I cant notice any scratches on the few that i had cleaned with sand. Is sand really that bad? Is there a fine sand i could buy that wouldn't scratch glass?

 

[Bottleman]

People say cleaning bottles with sand is a bad idea but if you are cleaning common bottles just go for it. Anything over $100 I probably wouldn’t use sand on but I think it would take a LOT of shaking and scrubbing with sand to see scratches. Plus scratches can always be tumbled out so I don’t think it’s a big issue.

~~Tom