Bombilla is an iconic and unique accessory, when it comes to drinks and beverages. You drink tea or coffee straight out of the cup, but traditional mate is sipped through a bombilla, which acts both as a straw and a filter for yerba mate leaves. On one hand it’s no different to any other kitchen utensil, however, being essentially a straw, a special care should be given to it to ensure that it stays clean both inside and outside without any bacteria forming in it. So let’s take a look at the proper bombilla cleaning and caring techniques, and I’ll share with you my cleaning routine that I also recommend adding to your daily and monthly schedule.
Light cleaning
After I finish my mate session, I dump used yerba into the compost bin, wash the gourd with water only, especially if it’s a calabash gourd, and pat it dry with paper towels. Bombilla I clean separately, first rinsing it with a strong stream of water from both ends, which washes out stray yerba debris, and then washing it with dishwashing liquid just like you would any other kitchen utensil such as spoon or fork.
I also highly recommend getting a set of cleaning brushes and use it with dishwasher liquid to scrape the insides of bombilla straw to get any debris or any plaque that may start to form inside the bombilla.
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Construction of some bombillas, such as spring or slotted ones, allows them to be disassembled, which makes cleaning much easier. Even certain spoon bombillas can have detachable filter.
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However, there is only so much you can clean with water, detergent and cleaning brush — that’s why a deeper, more thorough cleaning is required from time to time.
Deep cleaning
In order to clean every inaccessible nook and cranny inside a bombilla, I like to do a deep cleaning around once a month, which boils down to (pun intended) letting them sit in boiling water for at least 30 minutes.
CautionYou should only boil metal bombillas! If you have bamboo or even plastic bombilla — resort to light cleaning.
Get yourself a large pan that will be able to fit all of your bombillas and fill it with water so that bombillas will be fully submerged. Add generous spoon of baking soda to the pan — sodium bicarbonate has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, and will inhibit the growth of any nasty stuff inside the bombillas. Some people also advise to add a splash of vinegar for the same reasons, but I personally don’t like the fumes of vinegar filling my whole kitchen, so I only use baking soda during the deep cleaning. Turn the heat on and let it get to boil, then lower the heat so that it’ll keep at rolling boil — the heat of the water and constantly moving bubbles will aid in cleaning.
Quick TipDon’t fill the pan all the way up with water, as it’ll take too long for it to boil and will dilute the sodium bicarbonate solution. But also take into account that some water will boil away, so leave a little extra room of water above the bombillas, don’t let the water barely cover them.
About 10 minutes into boiling, you’ll notice that water is becoming darker, and start seeing small yerba mate debris in the water that were gunking up inside the bombillas. 30 minutes in, the water will become quite murky, and I guarantee that after seeing it once you will start deep cleaning you bombillas on a regular basis!
After you finish boiling your bombillas, simply drain the water, let bombillas cool down, and rinse them under a faucet once again to remove the baking soda solution. Dry bombillas with kitchen towel or some paper towels, and they are ready to be used again!
Next steps
Knowing how to properly and timely clean and take care of your bombillas is very important, especially when your collection starts growing. If you are interested in adding more bombillas to your collection, or discover how different and varied yerba mate bombillas can be, learn their anatomy, with pros and cons of different materials and filtration systems — take a look at our definitive guide where you will explore everything you need to know about bombilla for mate.
Bombilla is only one of many necessary and optional accessories for drinking mate. Check out our extensive guide on yerba mate accessories, that will help you understand what you need to enjoy mate to its fullest.
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And last but not least — you cannot enjoy mate without trying as much different yerbas as possible! Exploring different regional types, cuts and blends of yerba mate will allow you to expand your palate and understand exactly what are your preferences when it comes to this beautiful drink. Visit our growing yerba mate reviews section, to discover your next favorite brand, with comprehensive in-depth reviews of 70+ brands of yerba mate.
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Have you integrated bombilla cleaning routing into your schedule? Are there any tips that you can give? Do you have any questions left or think that I missed something? Leave it in the comments below!
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