If you only refill your reusable water bottle with crystal clear drinking water, does it need to be washed? Experts say yes, because these bottles get dirty no matter what liquid they contain.
Water bottles collect bacteria from our mouths every time we take a sip, and germs from our hands with actions like unscrewing the cap. The insides of the bottles have several crevices where microbes and mold can accumulate if they are not washed regularly.
“It seems irrelevant, but it’s very important,” says Michele Knepper, who works as a nurse at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Not washing water bottles can result in discomforts such as stomach pain, a sore throat, or even aggravated asthma or allergy symptoms.
Cleaning tips
Specialists have not agreed on how frequently the bottles should be washed, but they do agree that doing so with some regularity is always going to be a good option.
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Bacteria and germs reach the bottle no matter what material it is made of: metal, plastic or glass. Although possible scratches in the plastic generate even more nooks where bacterial life can accumulate.
The best cleaning routine is to scrub the bottle inside and out with warm soapy water, give it a second pass with water to remove the soap, and let it dry. If the bottle has a straw or straw, it is also advisable to use a pipe cleaner type tool.
For a more thorough cleaning, from time to time it is advisable to put the bottle in a dishwasher if it has one and if the bottle says that it is washable material that way. Otherwise, you can use a soluble tablet designed to clean dental guards or dentures and leave it to act overnight. You can also add a little white vinegar to a soapy solution with warm water to clean more thoroughly.
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Many experts say that basic cleaning with warm water should be done daily, followed by a more thorough cleaning each week. If that seems too laborious, a basic wash every one or two weeks may be enough if you also cultivate additional good habits such as rinsing the mouthpiece with a little clean water every time the bottle is refilled and practicing good oral hygiene.
However, this is only if the bottle contains crystal clear drinking water. If you have had any other drinkable liquid or additives such as electrolytes from sachets or orange slices, it is important to wash them daily, because the traces of sugar in some of these products attract bacteria.
Do you have to change the water in the bottle every day?
Experts disagree about whether it is okay to drink water that has been left in the bottle overnight in the morning.
Some say that undrinked water should be thrown away every few hours, but all indicate that the water in the bottle should be changed if it has not been drunk for more than two days.
“Is it the most important thing we should do in life? No, but it’s not a hard thing to do either,” says Mike Ren, a family physician at Baylor College of Medicine.
“And the medical guidelines are precisely guidelines, which means that everyone follows them in different ways,” he adds.
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If the bottle starts to have a strange smell or have dark deposits, it is important not to drink that water.
And it’s a good idea not to refill plastic water bottles if they are not reusable, because they contain chemicals that can leach into the drink and tend to have even more nooks and crannies where germs congregate.
