Hydro Flasks is one of the most well-known drinkware manufacturers. They’re easy to use, they keep our drinks cooler for longer, and they’re stylish as heck! But when your Hydro Flask becomes dirty, is it alright to throw it into the dishwasher?
According to Hydro Flask, all powder-coated bottles are dishwasher-safe. Products not coated in powder, such as certain Hydro Flask coffee mugs, are not dishwasher-safe and should be washed by hand. That said, you should wash all insulating mugs and tumblers by hand.
Now, you’re probably wondering why you would need to handwash a Hydro Flask bottle if it’s dishwasher safe. I’ll explain why that is the case down below, as well as explain which products on the Hydro Flask website are considered dishwasher-safe.
Why Should You Wash Insulating Drinkware by Hand?
Dishwashers are supposed to make life easier by taking care of the one chore absolutely nobody wants to do. However, dishwashers don’t have a human touch, so they can be indiscriminate about how aggressively they wash your kitchenware and drinkware.
Insulating water bottles are not like regular water bottles. They are sometimes constructed with a thin layer of insulating foam between 2 layers of stainless steel. The foam helps keep hot air from leading to condensation, which can significantly increase the temperature of a drink.
Also, you have to think about the design of the drinkware’s lid, cap, or opening. If any of these components become damaged in any way, then hot air can leak into the drink, completely defeating the purpose of the foam insulation layer to begin with.
How does this tie back to using a dishwasher? Dishwashers are not particularly careful when they wash dishes. Things dance around and fall off the dishracks all the time, especially if you haven’t loaded the machine properly. It could happen to your Hydro Flask, too.
So, when it comes to Hydro Flasks and other insulated bottles, tumblers, mugs, etc., it’s highly recommended that you wash them by hand. It’s a few minutes of extra work, but it can help ensure that your flask lasts for a very long time.
Are Hydro Flasks Dishwasher Safe?
You can usually tell whether a product is dishwasher-safe or not by the presence of a dishwasher-safe label. For those who don’t know, the label looks like 2 plates with water droplets (top dishrack only), or it looks like a single plate with water droplets (top or bottom dishrack).
If your Hydro Flask doesn’t come with a dishwasher-safe label, or if you don’t know where to look for it, don’t worry. The chart below will describe the dishwasher-safe-ability by product type.
| Product Type | Dishwasher-Safe? |
| Bottles | Yes |
| Tumblers | Yes |
| Coffee | Yes (powder-coated only) |
| Beer, Wine, Spirits | Yes |
| Food Jars | Yes |
| Bottle Accessories | Yes |
How to Wash Hydro Flask Caps and Lids?
Almost every Hydro Flask cap or lid is deemed dishwasher-safe. However, tossing a cap or lid into the dishwasher may not turn out the best results.
All dishwasher-safe Hydro Flask accessories, including straws and lids, should be placed on the top dishrack of your dishwasher. The water that sprays into the top dishrack is not nearly as hot as the water for the bottom dishrack, so there’s less of a risk of the plastic becoming deformed. Just make sure that the accessories are steady in place since they can fall and end up touching the dishwasher heating coil.
If you don’t want to risk it, you should wash your Hydro Flask accessories by hand. The Hydro Flask Straw & Lid Cleaning Set is a handy tool to get rid of gunk from inside the straw. Also, you can use Natural Cleaning Tablets to clean your Hydro Flask. Just mix one tablet with 32 ounces of water, dunk your Hydro Flask and the accessories in the water solution, and wait 15 to 30 minutes.
How to Remove Rust from Hydro Flash?
All Hydro Flask water bottles are made of stainless steel, which is not rust-proof but rather rust-resistant. The chromium alloy layer coating the inner iron reduces the likelihood of rust forming. However, exposure to high temperatures, cleaners, humidity, and bumping against other steel objects (basically, everything inside a dishwasher) can chip away at the chromium, exposing the iron and potentially leading to rust development.
If this happens to your water bottle, you can try mixing ¼ cup of baking soda into 1 cup of vinegar and placing the rusted portion into the vinegar mix. Let the bottle sit for 5 to 10 minutes before scrubbing the rust with a soft-bristle scrub brush or the soft side of a sponge.
If this doesn’t yield the desired results, you can submit a warranty claim for your Hydro Flask.
Can You Wash a Hydro Flask Lunch Box in a Dishwasher?
Hydro Flask makes all sorts of products, including soft coolers, insulated totes, hydration packs, storage bags, and insulated lunch boxes. Since the lunch box will constantly come into contact with food particles and beverages, it’s a good idea to wash it after each use. But is it safe to toss into the dishwasher?
No, it’s not. Hydro Flask insulated lunch boxes are not powder coated, so they cannot withstand the extreme temperature changes inside a dishwasher tub. To wash a lunch box, simply remove all of the solid debris and wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth. Then, let it air dry for 5 to 10 minutes or until it’s dry to the touch.
Also, before you ask, you cannot use a Natural Cleaning Tablet to clean coolers, totes, hydration packs, storage bags, and lunch boxes. The tablets only work with Hydro Flask-insulated drinkware (bottles, mugs, tumblers, etc.).
Can You Use Soap to Clean a Hydro Flask?
Regular dish soap and dishwasher detergent (if you want to put your Hydro Flask in the dishwasher) are fine to use. What’s not fine is chemical cleaners, especially those with salt and chlorine. Harsh chemicals can strip away the stainless steel coating, which makes the Hydro Flask susceptible to rusting.
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