Why You Should Clean Your Water Bottle Much More Often Than You Do
There are plenty of reasons to buy a reusable water bottle: you always have water with you, it’s much better for the environment than disposable bottles, and with some brands you even support a good cause too. But how often should you actually clean one of these things? And how?
Now that, because of coronavirus, we’re all being a little more hygiene-conscious than before (yes, go ahead and admit it, you grubby thing!), Delish wondered how often we should actually wash our water bottles. They asked Janilyn Hutchings of StateFoodSafety for advice.
“To kill any potentially emerging pathogens, you should clean and disinfect your water bottle regularly. Research from the Canadian Journal of Public Health shows that otherwise, unhealthy residue can remain inside it.”
Washing
In principle, washing it with soap and warm water is enough. It’s even better to rinse everything thoroughly afterward, according to Hutchings. That also seems nicer for you, since nobody enjoys water that tastes like soap.
Drying
Putting your water bottle in the cupboard afterward? Better not. It’s best to let it dry completely overnight. Another option is to keep it in the refrigerator, so bacteria don’t get a chance to grow.
Disinfecting
The easiest way to properly disinfect it is in the dishwasher. Just make sure your water bottle is dishwasher-safe. Is it not? Or don’t you have a dishwasher? Then you can also disinfect it with disinfectant.
Smell
Does your water bottle no longer smell so fresh? Leane Stapf of The Cleaning Authority recommends mixing baking soda with water (in a 50/50 ratio). Put it in the water bottle and let it soak for 10 minutes. “You can use a special bottle brush to clean the inside.”
How often?
But how often should you clean the thing? Monthly? Weekly? Nope. Much more often: daily. And the experts recommend disinfecting it at least once a week. If you’re ill or have been ill, definitely do it more often. And no, that has nothing to do with coronavirus. This is simply what you should routinely do if you want a clean water bottle. Should you do it more often during these coronavirus times? No, not really.
‘But I don’t see anything’
What the experts particularly emphasize: just because your bottle doesn’t look dirty doesn’t mean it isn’t dirty. Hutchings: “Bacteria prefer to grow in dark, damp environments. The inside of a water bottle is therefore a paradise for them.” Long story short: clean that bottle!
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