Open a Stuck Water Bottle with Rubber Bands, Scissors & More

Use these simple hacks to open a tight plastic water bottle, Gatorade bottle, or soda bottle so you can hydrate to your heart’s content

When you’re super thirsty, the last thing you need is a stubborn water bottle cap! Some water bottles can be tricky to open, but don't be discouraged if you can't loosen the cap on the first attempt. Read our article on easy hacks for opening a tight water bottle, below. You’ll be enjoying that sweet hydration soon enough.

Things You Should Know

  • Loosen the cap by running hot water over it, or by hitting the cap against a hard surface.
  • Break the seal with scissors or a sharp object like a steak knife, but exercise caution when handling blades. Saw back and forth to break the seal.
  • Wrap a rubber band around the cap and then try to open it; the rubber acts as a grip so you can apply all your pressure to break the seal.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Loosening the Bottle Cap

  1. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 1
    1
    Hold the cap under hot water to make it more flexible. Place the bottle cap under the hot water for about a minute, and then dry it with a towel. Just be careful that you don’t burn yourself! Wrap a towel around the bottle before opening if the cap is too hot to grip with your bare hands.[1]
    • Hot water will loosen the plastic cap, making it easier to unscrew the bottle.
    • Don’t make the water too hot or run it over the cap for too long. This could potentially melt the cap or damage the bottle—or, at the very least, it could heat up the cold contents of your bottle, which would be unpleasant.
  2. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 2
    2
    Tap the cap against a hard surface to loosen it from the bottle. Firmly hold the bottle of water in your hand and hit the cap against a hard surface, such as the edge of a countertop. Tap the side of the cap against the surface to loosen it, rather than the top of the cap.[2]
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  3. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 3
    3
    Ask a friend to open the bottle for you. If you can’t get the bottle cap to twist off on your own, it might be time to see if your friend or neighbor can help you out. Sure, it may hurt your pride, but the smooth, refreshing taste of water will soothe your wounded ego.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Twisting the Cap by Hand

  1. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 16
    1
    Grip the bottle with your non-dominant hand. Grasp the bottle firmly with your fingers, but don’t squeeze the bottle, or else its contents will go everywhere once you open the lid. Grip the bottom part of the bottled water with your left hand if you’re right-handed, or right hand if you’re left-handed.[3]
  2. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 18
    2
    Twist the cap counterclockwise with your other hand to break the seal. Use your dominant hand to twist until the cap becomes loose and breaks the seal. Make sure you’re holding the bottle tightly so only the cap twists, not the bottle.[4]
    • If the ridges on the cap are too sharp, use your shirt as a buffer between your hand and cap.
    • Be careful not to hold your bottle at a downward-facing angle! You don't want to be mopping up the water once you get the cap off.
  3. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 19
    3
    Unscrew the cap and enjoy the water. Once you break the cap's seal, the cap will easily screw off. You now have an open bottle of water![5]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Breaking the Seal

  1. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 6
    1
    Saw the seal with a sharp object, such as scissors or a knife. Scissors will probably be the easiest and safest, but you could also use a steak knife if you need to. Start a sawing motion, back and forth, with the blade along with the seal. Continue until you've broken the seal.[6]
    • The seal is a thin plastic ring located at the very bottom of the cap—it’s attached to the cap via a perforated line.
    • Be careful handling sharp objects!
  2. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 7
    2
    Use your hands to twist off the lid. Twist the cap firmly in a counterclockwise direction. After a portion of the seal has been broken, it’ll be easier to use your hands. Badaboom! Water!
  3. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 8
    3
    Saw the rest of the seal, if needed, and remove the cap. If your bottle cap is still giving you trouble, use the blade to remove the entire seal. Once the whole seal is removed, there will be nothing keeping you from removing that lid and hydrating.[7]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Opening with a Rubber Band

  1. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 11
    1
    Wrap a rubber band tightly around the cap. If you can’t get a good grip on the bottle, use a rubber band to offer you some traction. You probably have some rubber bands lying around your house, but if not, you can get some at a convenience store.[8]
    • If you don't want to trek all the way to the store for rubber bands, try wrapping a hair tie, plastic wrap, or a rubber glove around the bottle, or anything else you've got at home that could offer some traction.
  2. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 12
    2
    Space the band’s loops evenly around the cap. If the lengths of the rubber band are unevenly spaced on the bottle cap, it might be a little harder to grip it. Make the surface you’re gripping as smooth as you can by spacing the rubber band loops evenly around the lid.[9]
  3. Image titled Open a Bottle of Water Step 13
    3
    Twist counterclockwise and remove the cap. Apply all your pressure to break the seal. When the seal is broken, you’ll hear a little crack, and voila! Delicious water is yours for the drinking.[10]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Why is it possible to loosen steel caps on screw-top bottles by dipping the cap in hot water?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    The hot water will cause the cap to expand slightly, making it easier to unscrew it from the bottle. But it's not recommended to hold a glass bottle under hot water, as the change in temperature could cause the glass to shatter, especially if the bottle's contents are very cold.
  • Question
    I've been opening my water bottles by stabbing them for years now, and I can't find the twisty thing. Can someone be more specific about where it is?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    The bottle's seal is a plastic ring located just below the cap. It usually blends in a little with the cap, but it's attached by a perforated line that you can break with a blade. Using a blade is always hazardous, but it's probably safer to slice the perforated seal than to stab your water bottle (and will yield more elegant results).
  • Question
    Which method is recommended?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    I've had the most success using rubber bands, but hot water works well, too.
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Warnings

  • Don't use your teeth! It's bad for your teeth and the cap. You might lose a filling.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ http://www.networx.com/article/11-ways-to-open-a-stuck-jar-lid
  2. ↑ http://www.networx.com/article/11-ways-to-open-a-stuck-jar-lid
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/_zdcZzqXC5Y?t=73
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/_zdcZzqXC5Y?t=77
  5. ↑ https://youtu.be/_zdcZzqXC5Y?t=87
  6. ↑ http://www.networx.com/article/11-ways-to-open-a-stuck-jar-lid
  7. ↑ http://www.networx.com/article/11-ways-to-open-a-stuck-jar-lid
  8. ↑ http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-rubber-band-to-open-stuck-bottle-cap-and-othe/
  9. ↑ http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-rubber-band-to-open-stuck-bottle-cap-and-othe/
  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/O4JjID_5eEg?t=110

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
Dev Murphy
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Dev Murphy. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 570,912 times.
3 votes - 73%
Co-authors: 39
Updated: March 24, 2023
Views: 570,912
Categories: Drinks
Article SummaryX

Most water bottles are pretty simple to open—just twist off the cap. But if the lid is on too tight, there are some tricks you can try to make it easier. Running hot tap water over the cap may be enough to loosen it so you can twist it off. You can also try tapping the cap on a hard surface a few times before opening it. If the problem is that the seal around the cap won’t break, try sliding the blade of a utility knife around the space between the bottom of the lid and the seal. Once part of the seal is broken, you may be able to twist the lid off by hand. If you need a better grip on the lid, try wrapping a rubber band or a clean kitchen towel around the top of the cap, then twisting it off. If you want to learn how to cut the seal to break it, keep reading the article!

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