It is known that most dropper bottles can be reused, but it's necessary to clean them before reusing or storing them for later use. If without cleaning, the remaining liquid, especially medicine, will dry on the inside and outside of the dropper and be more difficult to remove as time goes on. On the other hand, handling droppers exposes them to germs, even if the dropper does not directly contact, for example, the nose, eyes or mouth. 

What's more, proper cleaning can prolong the service life of dropper bottles, as well as reduce cost and protect the environment.

Here we share the way to clean medicine dropper bottles:

Warm water

Dish soap

Sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or sodium percarbonate

Bleach (optional)

Rubbing alcohol (optional)

Cotton swabs

A bowl or bucket, which is large enough to fit all bottles and unassembled dropper tops

A plastic scraper for removing labels

A large sink or a second bowl or bucket to fit all bottles and disassembled dropper tops

Towel or drying rack

Brillo pad (optional)

1. Remove labels as possible as you can, ensuring any plastic coverings or sheaths are removed even if they leave behind paper or adhesive. Some labels come right off when soaked in cold water, while some labels need a Brillo pad and rubbing alcohol.

2. Open and rinse all bottles.

3. Disassemble the dropper tops and rinse each piece.

4. Put bottles, pipettes, rubber tops, and plastic rings from the bottles and dropper tops into a bowl or bucket with warm water and dish soap.

5. Soak the bottles and parts for at least 1 hour.

6. When the labels have all soaked through and some have begun to come off or soaked for at least 1 hour, fill a sink or a second bowl or bucket with about 3 gallons of warm water and 1/4 cup sodium carbonate. The water will feel slippery.

7. Remove the bottles from the soapy water and rinse them, removing all labels with a plastic scraper.

8. Put the rinsed bottles into the sodium carbonate solution.

9. Rinse all dropper bottle parts, including pipettes, rubber tops, and plastic rings, then put them into the sodium carbonate solution.

10. Soak the bottles and dropper parts for at least 1 hour.

11. Remove all bottles and parts from the sodium carbonate solution, clean inside each one with a cotton swab so that there is no residue or particles left behind. Be sure to insert the cotton swabs into each rubber top, too.

12. Briefly soak each part in a weak bleach solution then rinse thoroughly or use a sanitizing machine. This step is optional if you are only using it for another tincture for yourself. It is vital if you reuse a bottle that had vinegar or syrup or shared your tincture with others.

13. Put all parts on a clean, absorbent surface to dry. A dishwasher with a good drying cycle or a fan will hasten to dry.