Are Metal Straws Safe? Cleaning, Risks, and Best Practices

Stainless-steel straws are the most-popular reusable alternative — and the only one that comes with documented injury risk. A practical safety guide.

The honest answer

Metal straws are safe for most adults using them attentively at home. They're not recommended for unsupervised young children, anyone with seizure conditions or bite reflexes, or use in vehicles in motion — three contexts where impact-injury risk is real.

The risks are well-documented but rare. Reasonable precautions eliminate almost all of them.

Documented injury risks

1. Impact injury (the only documented fatal case)

The risk that put metal straws in the news: a metal straw that's bitten, dropped onto, or otherwise driven into the mouth at force can cause severe oral, dental, or palatal injury. In November 2018, a 60-year-old woman in the UK died after a fall onto a glass containing a metal straw — the straw penetrated her eye socket. The case was widely reported.

This risk is real but extremely rare and almost entirely preventable: don't use a metal straw while moving (walking, in a car), don't give one to anyone with seizure conditions or limited motor control, and use a straw with a slightly flexible silicone tip if any of these apply.

2. Choking risk for young children

Metal straws are too short to choke on the way a small object can — but a child can bite a straw and break a tooth, or jam one against the back of the throat. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has not issued a formal advisory, but most pediatric dentists recommend against rigid metal straws for children under 6.

For kids, see our guide on reusable straws for kids and toddlers — silicone is the recommended alternative.

3. Hot-drink burns

Metal conducts heat. A steel straw in a hot drink can heat up enough in 10–15 seconds to briefly burn the lips. Solution: silicone-tipped metal straws are widely available, or just use silicone or glass for hot drinks.

4. Cheap-import contamination

Real food-grade stainless steel (304 / 18-8) is virtually inert — it doesn't leach measurable amounts of metal into food or drink even when used with acidic beverages over many years. Cheap imports made from lower-grade alloys can leach nickel and other metals, especially when used with citrus juice, vinegar drinks, or wine. Always confirm food-grade 304 stainless on the spec sheet.

How to clean a metal straw

Metal straws are dishwasher-safe but the inside bore — where everything actually accumulates — needs a brush. Cleaning steps:

1. Rinse immediately after use. Don't let drinks dry inside.
2. Use a straw-cleaning brush. Most reusable straws ship with one. Push the brush all the way through with a drop of dish soap.
3. Dishwasher OK for the outside. But the brush step still matters — most dishwashers don't reach the inner bore properly.
4. Air dry vertically. Standing in a glass with the open end up. Don't wrap in cloth; trapped moisture grows mold.
5. Replace cleaning brushes annually. The bristles wear down and stop scrubbing the inner bore.

For more on care across all reusable straw types, see how to clean reusable straws.

Best-in-class buying criteria

If you're choosing a metal straw set today, the four boxes to check:

• 304 (18-8) food-grade stainless. On the spec sheet, not just marketing copy.
• Silicone tip option. For kids, sensitive mouths, or hot drinks.
• Cleaning brush included. No brush, no purchase.
• Smooth, deburred ends. Run your finger around the rim — it should be perfectly smooth.

Are metal straws right for you?

Use metal straws if:

• You're an adult, drinking attentively, mostly cold drinks
• You can commit to brush-cleaning
• You don't have a bite reflex or condition that affects mouth control

Use silicone or glass instead if:

• You're buying for a child or someone with motor-control variability
• You drink mostly hot drinks
• You'd rather not deal with the metallic taste (which is real but mild)