I thought for something new in 2018, we’d have a Tuesday Tip post: a small tidbit that will help you save money, time, effort, sanity, and so on.
A hammer isn’t going to help you with every dent, obviously.
(Don’t try this on your car!)
But if you have stainless steel water bottles or stainless steel thermal mugs, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that when you drop them, the bottoms tend to bulge or bend.
This doesn’t affect the drinking function, but it’s annoying when your bottle won’t stand up on a flat surface anymore.
To fix this, just turn the mug/bottle upside down and use a hammer to gently pound on the protruding part to flatten it out again.
This does not return the bottle/mug to its former glory, mind you. It’ll still be a little funky looking, and you won’t get it to be perfectly flat.
But you can help your drinking vessel stand on a counter without tipping over, and I’m happy with that.
Note: if your bottle/mug has a really big bulge on the bottom and the metal is thin, it’s possible that you’ll split the metal when you try to pound it flat. So, proceed with caution if your bottle is kind of flimsy. On the other hand, if the dent is so bad that the water bottle is unusable, what do you have to lose by trying?
Tefen Ca
Wednesday 7th of September 2022
FIXED WOBBLE! Need: Heat gun (1000f+), Heat-safe flat surface, Flat thick wood block, Rubber Mallet(or hammer), Head-safe gloves(ie. welding). Heat the damaged area and all uneven area around it on the bottom with ~960f+ being careful to check that it doesn't damage color coating/design as you do it. Once it is good and heated, place the bottom of bottle on strong flat heat-safe surface(ie wood board & cooking tray). Place the wood block on top of the bottle(no lid), then give it a firm hard but not too hard whack with the mallet. Check to see if the bottle is now laying flat or if it needs more whacks still. Repeat process until it lays flat. Careful not to over do it and destroy the bottle. The dents won't come out completely but at least it will lay flat now and you can cover up the damage with a silicone bottom cover. This is not guaranteed to work for all vacuum insulated bottles, depending on how badly damaged it already is.
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lisa
Wednesday 10th of January 2018
I use white vinegar to clean mirrors. It doesn't streak at full strength and I also dampen a paper towel with vinegar and wrap it around bathroom faucets that have hard calcium on them. I et it sit for 3-4 hours and most of the deposits will wipe off. Heck, I even wrap the shower head too.
Jenny
Tuesday 9th of January 2018
We have those great insulated FlyLady steel water bottles ($15-expensive, but keep cold for hours to days!) but some have been dropped either too hard or too many times and they have lost their ability to insulate even though they look fine and aren't dented. My point is, I guess, that we should put them in the metal recycling, and if Kristen's tip doesn't work, recycle! Don't put them in the landfill.
Kaitlin
Tuesday 9th of January 2018
I love this new feature! And the comments are helpful too!
(Though, I must admit, when I read, "something new" a small part of me cringed at the idea of change. I need to work on my flexibility!)
Shawn D.
Tuesday 9th of January 2018
A key principle is to not apply the hammer's force directly to the dent, but to use an intermediate tool (or tools), and you can hammer without a hammer. Hammering a dent from the outside is often going to be ineffective, so you really need to use a piece of dowel or even an entire broomstick from the inside to the outside, through the container's mouth. If the tip of what you're using is too large or doesn't conform to the dent, whittle and sand it until it does.