Cleaning Ink Spray Bottle lids, Dauber Paint Lids & Reviving Nuvo Mousse

This was a long time coming...... as was my blog post.

The dreaded cleaning of ink spray bottle lids, dauber paint lids and the reviving of Nuvo mousse was a long time coming, because if you are like me, I don't always clean as I go :-( and it was a big job that I am really happy with having the time spent to actually get them cleaned and ready to use again without the hassle of sprays not spraying, paint not coming out or the Nuvo dried up.

Ink Spray Bottle Lids

It absolutely frustrates me, when buying ink sprays and the spray works once, or just won't work the first time you use it! I find the Nuvo ones are the worst spritz bottles and out of the 6 I have, only two work, and still work after spending ages cleaning them out. 

I started by taking all the lids off the spray bottles and placing my bottles carefully in a tray carrier and replacing the lid back on as to avoid spillage or dry out.(except I did have a spillage :-( when I was putting the lids back on, I accidentally tipped one in the tray hehehe).

Using boiling water from the kettle, I filled up a pot (it's actually a pot plant holder without the hole in the bottom :-)) that I found lying in the shed. It was the perfect size! You can see from the water how dirty these were. I let these soak overnight.

The next day, I filled up the sink with boiling water and detergent, and tipped the spray lids into the water and allowed them to soak for another hour, before rinsing them under warm water, using clean water to spritz through and wiping them as I go. I then allowed them to dry overnight. 

    

I literally tested every single one as I was replacing them onto the ink spray bottles, and other than the Nuvo ones, they all worked perfect! 

With the Nuvo ones, I ended up tipping the contents into some dark glass spray bottles I had purchased on eBay (which I was going to use for my Doterra Oils and create my own mixes), and when I was getting frustrated with the ones not working, after having spent ages pulling apart and cleaning, I decided to use these bottles and see if they would work and YES!!!! I can actually use the sprays now without the frustration :-). 

As you can see, these bottles aren't clear so seeing the colour like the Nuvo bottle isn't as great (I love seeing the colours!!!), however you can buy clear ones, and larger sizes, so next time I will invest in these for the purpose of ink spray bottles that don't spray :-)  I also made sure I labelled each bottle so I know what colour I am using. I will probably spray a little bit of spray in the lid and allow it to dry so as to have some visual of the colour.

Paint Dauber Lids

For my paint dauber lids, I did the same thing as the spray lids, and allowed them to soak in the pot with boiling water from the kettle, and then after an hour, I filled the pot with boiling water and detergent and allowed these to soak for a couple of hours. I then tipped them in the sink with hot water as I went through cleaning each one.

I took one at a time, removing the inside washer and running warm water through each lid and cleaning them as I go, using a tea towel to gently wipe the lid inside and on the dauber, replacing the washer at the end. I allowed these to dry overnight, before placing them back onto the paints.

Reviving Nuvo Mousse

I watched a lot of YouTube videos for this one, and there are some great tips, as I was really unhappy that a lot of my Nuvo mousse had completely dried up and hardened to the point of not being able to be revived.

One video suggested breaking up the Nuvo into small bits and adding some warm water, I had tried the warm water way before and did revive a couple, however still ended up throwing a lot out. 

This time I decided to use boiling water. Out of the 6 that needed reviving, I managed to revive 5 :-) SOOOO cool! I left these sitting over night and the next day, with a little bit of mixing with a spatula, it came back good as new like paste.(I know the picture still looks watery, I just forgot to take another photo!). I also removed the plastic part from the lid, and added glad wrap before closing the lid to keep some of the moisture in.

The really, really hard, dried lumpy ones after breaking it up as best I could and using the water method, were unable to be used to give a smooth paste finish and despite trying to mix it a few times, I had no luck.

I've thrown a lot of this product out due to them drying out and becoming really hard, very disappointing when you pay for products that just do not last, or it could be a lesson learn't, do more crafting to use the product, hmmm now there is a thought! 

Happy Crafting or should I say "Happy Cleaning" :-)

Michelle xx