When did you last wash your water bottle?
Do you have a favorite reusable water bottle? A lot of people do. And while daily hydration is important for your health, you may be making this germy mistake.
If you never wash your water bottle or only rinse it with water, you are creating a perfect environment for bacteria and mold to thrive. This means you may be ingesting harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter, with each sip.
Just pouring out old water and rinsing the water bottle with new water only eliminates some germs. Dr. Robert Citronberg, the executive medical director of infectious disease and prevention at Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care, offers the following water bottle cleaning tips to decrease your likelihood of getting a stomach bug:
- Look for a water bottle that is dishwasher safe. The dishwasher is the best and easiest way to keep your reusable water bottles clean. Make sure to run them through the dishwasher after every use.
- Bottles without straws are preferred since the inside of the straw can be difficult to disinfect. If you are set on having a water bottle with a straw, you should clean the inside of the straw with dish soap and a straw brush after every use.
- Avoid using bleach-based products.
If you filled your water bottle with a sugary sports drink or soda, it’s even more important to follow the above tips since microorganisms will feed off any residue left behind.
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About the Author
Anna Kohler, health enews contributor, is an external communications specialist for Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care. She received her bachelor's degree in public relations from Illinois State University and has worked in health care public relations and content marketing for over five years. In her free time, she enjoys working out, exploring new places with her friends and family, and keeping up with the latest social media trends.
Interesting information
Besides the dishwasher, what other hand wash methods could be used to clean a reusable water bottle?
Very good info
I use a metal water bottle (HydroFlask), with straw. Why not use bleach- based products for cleaning? I have soaked the straw part in soap with a dash of bleach and rinsed in hot water thoroughly because the rubber part had a mildew look that soap alone wasn’t removing.