Last week, I did something I should’ve done a long time ago for the sake of this post – a deep cleaning of my bombillas. I couldn’t believe what was hidden inside these thin pieces of metal. It was NOT pretty.

Here’s what happen…

Every day that I drank yerba mate, I used the same bombilla. I did this for around 2-3 months. And the bombilla I used was only cleaned with warm running water and some light scrubbing. I’d then wipe it down with a paper towel and let it sit by a window sill to dry.

Now, this is usually how most people wash their bombillas and that’s perfectly fine.

But after a while, you’ll need to take it a step further.

Here’s why…

Are Yerba Mate Bombillas Clean?

On the surface, it’s easy to say your bombillas are clean. But have you ever taken a close look inside? Probably not because we can’t. But if you did, you’d be in for a dirty surprise.

Now you may think how bad of a mess can a natural infusion like tea make?

Well, yerba mate brings along with it a host of organic compounds and chemicals that over time can stain and harden into solid chunks. But it’s not just the yerba. Minerals from your water and other ingredients mixed with your mate (sugar, milk, herbs, etc.) contribute to this buildup, and it can happen faster than you expect.

Think about it: sometimes, we don’t clean our bombillas right away after we finish drinking. We let it sit. Even after we do clean it, the inside is never really touched. And when we set it down to rest, all that moisture is stuck in there. It’ll dry up eventually, but it won’t dry efficiently as airflow is constrained to two small openings.

With that said, it’s easy to see how the inside of bombillas can get dirty pretty easily and quickly.

If you still don’t believe me, let me show you what it’s like to clean your bombillas.

How To Clean Mate Bombilla

To perform a deep cleaning of your bombillas, you’ll need:

• Boiling water
• Pan
• Baking soda

Along with the single overused bombilla I mentioned earlier, I cleaned the rest of my bombillas as well. But as you’re about to find out, that overused one had something special in store for me.

Let’s begin!

Watch our video below or follow the text underneath:

Step 1: Fill your pan with water

Make sure your pan is large enough to fit all your bombillas from head to toe. Also, make sure the water level is high enough for you to completely submerge them underwater or else they won’t be fully cleaned.

Step 2: Add baking soda

Depending on the amount of water used and number of bombillas you’re cleaning, use anywhere from 2-5 tablespoons of baking soda. There’s no hard rule on this, just use what you think will be enough. Using more than needed won’t do any harm.

Step 3: Place your bombillas in the pan

If the filters on your bombillas are removable, take them off and place everything in. Double-check to make sure all the straws are completely submerged.

Step 3: Boil for 30-45 minutes

Turn on your stove and start boiling. The combination of hot water and baking soda will start to loosen up all the built-up dirt, grit, and hardened bits from inside your bombillas. Keep an eye on it from time to time in case more water needs to be added. I also like to grab some tongs and wiggle each bombilla to help shake some of the gunk off while it’s boiling hot.

Step 4: Rinse off

After 30-45 minutes have passed, remove your bombillas and filters from the pan and place them into a container of cool water to cool them down. Next, rinse them off under warm water, allowing water to flush through both ends starting with the opening at the bottom. This prevents you from pushing particles back into the filter end where they can’t get out.

Step 5: Run a cleaning brush through each straw

A cleaning brush is essential. If you don’t have any, you can get some here for cheap. Boiling water isn’t enough to remove grit – it only loosens it. But with a brush, you can really dig in there and scrape everything out. Especially the particles that are stuck or too large.

This is what I had to do with my overused bombilla which happened to be filled with these hardened black chunks.

I first tried to blow it out from the filter end, but it was clogged. Next, I tried shaking and banging the bombilla to force it out and some did but not all. Then I finally ran the brush through it and everything came flowing right out. And by everything, I mean these black chips that looked like the charred flaky part of meat that’s been on the grill too long.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a picture of it as I was too focused on clearing it out. But take a look at the picture above of the water from the pan after boiling the bombillas, and imagine 10x those black bits inside one single bombilla. Gross!

Step 6 (Optional): Boil once more

Flash boil the bombillas for about another 5-10 minutes. I like to do this step to ensure I didn’t miss anything since the bombillas before were essentially bathing in their own filth.

Step 7: Let them dry

Polish the exterior by wiping your bombillas down with a rag. Then rest them on a few paper towels and leave them to dry by a window sill for maximum airflow. Once you find that they’re completely dry, they’re now ready to be used again and should look brand spanking new!

Depending on how often you use your bombillas, you want to do this procedure about once every month or so. If you use a cleaning brush frequently, you may only need to do it every 2-3 months.

Caring For Your Bombilla

Now that you know the aftermath of really cleaning your bombillas, you might want to take some extra precautions to prevent it from ever getting this bad.

Here are a few things you can do to care for your bombillas on a daily basis:

• Clean up as soon as you’re done drinking your mate. Don’t let it marinate inside your gourd filled with yerba.
• Flush water through starting from the filter end.
• Use a brush to thoroughly clean out the inside after each session.
• Leave it to dry upright with the filter-end pointing upwards to let gravity pull out the moisture.

Final Words

Bombillas play a huge role. If not taken care of properly, it can ruin the entire experience.

The grime inside can easily start clogging your bombilla. And if that doesn’t happen yet, then it’ll be contaminating every sip likely leaving you with an upset stomach.

If you want to avoid this, then you might want to clean your bombillas ASAP! Who knows what might be hiding in there.

P.S. If you found this post helpful, you might also want to check out our store for brand new bombillas and more.