Around the House

#44 · Unclog a bottle or spout

Poke through a blocked nozzle or spout where your fingers simply can't reach. Practical and occasionally grim.

Ketchup, sriracha, honey, dishwasher gel, shampoo, wood glue. Anything that lives in a squeeze bottle eventually plugs its own nozzle with dried residue, and the fix takes about ten seconds.

How to do it

1. Take the cap off rather than working through it.
2. Slide the pointed end of a chopstick into the nozzle with a slow twist.
3. Push the plug down into the bottle or lift it out on the tip.
4. Wipe the outside of the nozzle clean, then recap.

Why it works

A chopstick tapers continuously from roughly 2mm to 5mm, so somewhere along its length it matches almost any household nozzle bore. Bamboo is also softer than the polypropylene most nozzles are moulded from, so it clears the plug without scoring or splitting the plastic - which a screw or a nail will.

Tips & warnings

• Store bottles upside down and most plugs never form.
• For a really set plug, stand the bottle in warm water for a few minutes first.
• Keep separate chopsticks for the kitchen and the bathroom. You do not want sriracha in the shampoo.