The Tervis Haze Fix

I see Tervis cups/bottles/tumbers on my Goodwill adventures all the time.  We have quite a collection at home, but I’m particularly fond of the custom designs.  The issue with a lot of the cups I see at Goodwill is that they are stained or have the Tervis ‘haze’.  I typically pass on any that aren’t new or in perfect shape, but out of curiosity, I did a Google search on ‘cleaning tervis’.  I’ll get to the results in a minute.

After the search, I increased my tolerance Tervis cups and bottles – especially those that are clean other than the haze.  I found this bottle from Ansley CC, and other than the haze on the outside, it was in fantastic shape.  The haze was bad on this one.  The inside was spotless and didn’t look to have ever been used, so I decided to spend the $1.29 and give it a whirl.  I like to bring bottles like these on the golf course or to the park with the kids, so I knew it would get used.  Anyone with kids knows that tops on drinks are a must.

You all know the Tervis haze…it’s a weird, rough stain that fogs up the cup.  My research tells me that it is a result of sunscreen, which causes a chemical reaction with the Tervis plastic.  My guess is that the guy that bought this bottle applied sunscreen, then took a swig with the same hand.

Now to the fix.  The simplest fix I could find was this:  Make a paste out of baking soda and water, and rub furiously.  It might take a couple applications, but it should work.  Here we go:

I made the paste, probably a bit heavier than I should, but after some mixing, it made more sense.

Let the rubbing begin…

Ultimately I did two major applications.  I did my best to get as much baking soda paste onto the bottle as possible, and rubbed wherever I saw haze for a total of five minutes. I washed and dried the cup, and upon inspection, the haze was definitely dissipating.  I repasted and gave it another five minutes.

The end result:

Ultimately, I am very happy with the results.  It doesn’t look like a brand new Tervis, but the haze is ~90% gone.  I could probably do another rub and it might improve, but I needed to get on a video call so that was that.

Being that I can’t leave well enough alone, I decided to order a new Tervis bottle lid.  I decided to go with green vs. grey:

I had an extra orange carabiner that I attached to the lid, and we are ready to go.

Total investment: $1.29 for the cup, $8 for the lid, and some elbow grease.  Time investment: roughly 20 minutes including clean up.  Not that expensive, and I really enjoyed the restoration project.  Be on the lookout, folks…

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24 Comments

  1. Perry
    10/07/2020 / 9:26 AM

    Will be trying this out tonight. Have a couple of Tervis Tumblers with the Haze.

    • JRS
      Author
      10/08/2020 / 8:40 AM

      Let me know how it turns out?

    • Dennis
      03/20/2022 / 3:25 PM

      Why not try the cleaner that you use on headlight lenses for your car

  2. Trip
    10/07/2020 / 10:34 AM

    This is great. I wonder how Bar Keepers Friend would work in comparison.

    • DrJ
      05/28/2023 / 6:04 PM

      Worked great, but if the haze is really thick, try the polish used for ceramic cooktops. I used ceramabryte and my tervis went from trashed to like new. But I only had cloud damage on the outside.

  3. NEM
    10/07/2020 / 10:47 AM

    Wenol, a metal polishing compound also used by watchmakers for acrylic and plastic crystal refurbishing, has worked for me to remove that hazy clear coat on Tervis items. Far less work than baking soda which tends to be grainier, but softer, than Wenol. Just my $0.02 worth…

    • JRS
      Author
      10/08/2020 / 8:41 AM

      I’m up for anything. I’ll let Amazon know to drop some off in their daily delivery to our fort.

  4. Sonja
    06/19/2021 / 1:34 PM

    The haze is on the inside so I doibl it is sun screen

    • Robert
      12/29/2022 / 10:28 AM

      Toothpaste works well, like a polishing compound, which would also work.

    • Joyce Courts
      02/22/2023 / 3:08 PM

      Exactly and I don’t use Sun screen. All my cups have the haze

  5. Sandra Durfee
    10/11/2021 / 8:41 PM

    Have about 12 that has that haze but never used sun screen & the are only at homeWill try the baking soda but if it doesn’t work can I return them

  6. Ellen Giallonardo
    06/19/2022 / 8:08 PM

    Not only does my Tervis cups get the haze on the bottom but they have started tasting soapy. Any advice?

  7. Kim Hood
    08/18/2022 / 5:35 PM

    I use a magic eraser and it takes all the haze out perfectly!

    • SAM BAYS
      12/18/2022 / 12:10 PM

      Thanks, Kim. You’re the greatest!

  8. Sylvia
    11/01/2022 / 8:09 AM

    It’s definitely not caused by sunscreen. I live in Pennsylvania and my cups have never been anywhere near sunscreen. Yet, all of 10 of them are cloudy. A friend of my suspects it’s the dishwasher.

    • Enid
      07/26/2023 / 7:17 PM

      You should never put double-walled glasses or cups in the dishwasher.

  9. Linda
    11/23/2022 / 1:31 PM

    Ours are all hazy brown on the INSIDE, no sunscreen here and they do NOT go through the dishwasher. Any suggestions?

    • Joyce Courts
      02/22/2023 / 3:10 PM

      Exactly and I don’t use Sun screen. All my cups have the haze

  10. Bonnie
    04/04/2023 / 6:03 PM

    I have what looks like soap stains between the doubled walled mug

  11. Grace
    05/03/2023 / 2:21 PM

    If you didn’t know Tervis has a lifetime guarantee. I’ve returned my hazy cups and brown interior stained tumblers more than once. You just have to pay for initial shipping (mail the tumblers to them) and they will replace with brand new tumblers. I think they have improved their product because my newest tumblers have stayed crystal clear and I drink coffee and tea in them every day. https://www.tervis.com/lifetime-guarantee

  12. DrJ
    05/28/2023 / 6:01 PM

    I bought a very cloudy on the outside tervis tumbler from the thrift store and scrubbed and scrubbed with baking soda, soda and vinegar several times. Vigorously. Didn’t seem to be making very much headway so switched to barkeepers friend with blue 3m no scratch scrubby sponge. Got better, but still not clear. I began to be able to see the finger and hand prints. THEN I used cerama bryte, glass top cooktop cleaner and wow. Two times through with that and it’s like brand new. Thanks for the ideas everyone!

  13. 06/01/2023 / 3:05 AM

    This really works?

  14. Sheila
    07/19/2023 / 11:48 PM

    All of mine have stayed clear except the two mugs that we use for coffee. Baking soda did not work, but now I will try Bar Keepers friend or the cleaner I use for my stove top. Thanks for the help.

  15. Julian Chandler
    11/07/2023 / 3:13 PM

    We’ve been using clear Tervis tumblers exclusively for at least five or six years and the only ones that have ever gotten cloudy or stained are those my husband uses for his coffee and cream. I wash them all (both coffee and non-coffee) on the top rack of the dishwasher every day. The non-coffee tumblers still look brand new, and those used for coffee and cream look like something excavated from a 2,000-year-old landfill.

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