How to Fix a Spray Bottle: Tips for Extending the Life of Your Cleaning Essential
Spray bottles are used in every day life, especially when it comes to cleaning products. However they are not designed to be reusable, and this means they have a short life span.
However, all is not lost. There are multiple ways to fix spray bottles using our cleaning tips to help you get the most out of each one.
Knowing these fixes will not only help you finish the actual household cleaning products, but it will allow you to reuse them and create your own household cleaning products.
How To Fix A Spray Bottle
As stated above, there are a few issues that you can encounter with spray bottles, and knowing how to fix a spray bottle will save you time and money.
Below I have listed all the different reasons why a spray bottle will not work from piston seals to a blocked nozzle so you can fix it easily and quickly.
Troubleshooting The Pump Spray Bottle
A spray bottle is quite a simple pump mechanism. It’s basically a piston attached to the type and the nozzle, when you pull the trigger in, the plastic piston goes in an upwards direction and forces the liquid that’s in the tube, out through the nozzle.
When you release the trigger, the piston goes downwards and creates a vacuum sucking liquid back in the tube ready for the next spray.
If your sprayer has stopped working, then it’s either the nozzle is blocked, the piston seal has broken on the piston chamber, or the tube is not reaching the liquid in the bottle.
Knowing which issue you have will take some visuals, quickly look around the bottle, if the trigger feels like there is no pressure, then it’s the seal.
If the tube isn’t touching any liquid, it’s the length of the tube.
And if the tube is touching the liquid, and there is pressure when applying the trigger and in this scenario the trigger may feel impossible to squeeze, then you have a blocked spray mechanism.
Check out our below cleaning tips to fixing your device.
Unblocking Adjustment Cap / Nozzle
If your nozzle is blocked, you should first double check to see if the adjustment cap on the nozzle is in the open position. I’ve done this so many times where someone has closed it and I’ve not noticed it’s closed.
If it’s open, and it’s still not spraying, then unscrew the nozzle head from your spray bottle. Now fill up your sink with some hot water (Not boiling) And pull the trigger in the hot water so that you get hot water into the spray bottle pump. This should clear any cleaning liquids that may still be in there. If this does not unblock it then move onto the next step.
Get a bottle of white vinegar, and put the spray mechanism in there, and spray the vinegar through the pump spray bottle. Now let the vinegar sit for around 30 minutes before rinsing it out. The acid from the vinegar should hopefully burn through any clogs.
The last way is if the clog is at the nozzle. Get a small pin and use that to poke your way through the hole of the nozzle to clear out any blockage.
Lengthening The Tube On The Spray Mechanism
Sometimes your tube may be too short, and you just can’t seem to get the last part of the cleaning solution out of the spray bottle. Quite annoying isn’t it?
Well at hardware stores they sell plastic tubes, you can use some crafting skills to cut some of those tubes to the length needed and slide it over the current tube.
For me, I add a metal nut over where the new tube meets the old tube, and add an elastic band over it. This keep its secure and weighted so that the bottom of the tube reaches the middle of the bottom. This avoids the tube curling to either side of the bottle.
This is one of my best cleaning tips to help you get the most out of your spray bottles.
Other Issues
The last issue is with the piston, if you pump the sprayer but the piston doesn’t retract, then it’s normally a broken or missing spring. If this is the case, then you can get a replacement at your local hardware store. Sometimes your spring could have been displaced whilst using the sprayer so it’s best to check that before buying a replacement.
If you cannot access the spring in the sprayer at all, or the piston seals have failed, then you will need a replacement spray bottle.
Conclusion
There are a few issues that can occur with a spray bottle, and sometimes they are easy to fix. However in some cases it can require a new spray bottle.
It’s best to check over all the things your comfortable with doing first, and if you feel like you are unable to fix it. Then it’s best just to get a replacement spray bottle.
Keep in mind that prevention is always key. With a sprayer it’s very easy to break them with excessive force, I’ve done it multiple times myself. They are not made to last too long.
Always take care when using your spray bottle and hopefully you shouldn’t encounter too many issues.
