Wash bottle
A wash bottle is a squeezy plastic bottle with a long, bent nozzle.
What is it for?
It squirts a thin stream of pure water to rinse glassware, or to top up a liquid to an exact line.
How to use it
Point the nozzle where you want the water to go and squeeze gently.
🥽 Safety tip: Always check the label before you squeeze, because some wash bottles hold other liquids instead of water.
Fun fact from Fizzy: Wash bottles are usually filled with distilled water, which has had its minerals removed so it does not leave marks.
A closer look
The bottle is made of soft plastic, so it squeezes easily and springs back. When you squeeze, the water is pushed up a tube inside and out of the nozzle. The thin nozzle gives you a narrow stream you can aim very carefully.
Scientists use it for the last rinse of clean glassware, and to wash the last bits of a solid off a spatula or the side of a beaker so nothing gets left behind.
Where you would see one
Wash bottles sit on the bench in most labs. Their caps are often colour-coded, and they are clearly labelled so nobody squirts the wrong liquid by mistake.