Anyone have any good tips for cleaning water bottles. Aside from putting in the washer (which works well), when I just put dish soap and then rinse extensivley with cold water, I can never seem to get that soapy taste out?
I add some bleach, no soap, works well.
The other day I picked up one of my bottles. I took off the cap and there was all this fuzz growing on the inside, around the nozzle. I threw it away. Apparently I’m not the best guy to ask about cleaning bottles.
-C
Every once in a while, I put a little bleach in and add hot water…squirt a little of the bleach solution out to clean the inside of the valve, too. I let it sit overnight, and then run the bottles through the dishwasher. Works like a charm every time. Don’t leave the bleach solution in the bottles for too long, or it will make the plastic brittle…overnight is plenty of time to kill any future biology projects from growing!
You wash them?
I usually get some nice black looking mold growing in mine. Down to three bottles, so it is time to clean them. The dishwasher or any soap has not worked. Bleach is the last resort.
buy a brand new (emphasis on brand new) toilet brush, and use it exclusively for your water bottles. a bit of dish detergent, a bit of hot water, and swish swish swish, your bottles are clean. that black mold stuff just needs to be rubbed off, and swirling water around in there won’t do it.
toad
Get a baby bottle brush…squirt a little dish soap into the bottle, use the brush, and drain.
For those of you who put the bottles into the dishwasher. The outside gets clean but it is highly unlikely that your washer is able to shoot water into the inside to sufficiently clean them out.
Ahhh…ok…wide mouths should be fine in the washer.
So ! Whats wrong with fuzz ??
dirt
Warning! If you are going to use bleach, please remember to add the bleach to the water, not water to the bleach. Splashback of pure bleach up into your face when you add water to a porcilin sink at just the right angle may cause eye damage or at the very least ruin your cool jersey. (assuming you wash the bottles right when you get home and don’t change into a grungy shirt and safety glasses for washing your bottles). Always add the solvent to the solute!
I use a baby bottle washer and it works great. For really tough stains I use Chlorinated TSP and then run it through the dishwasher. (the tsp leaves a film that’s a pain to rinse off but kills and removes anything). Use caution putting your water bottles directly above the heater element in the dishwasher too, I’ve melted a few bottles during the drying cycle before.
Cheers, Karma
Bleach? Are you kidding me? Isn’t there some warning on Bleach that if its ingested you should call the Poison Control center immediately?
Throughout my years I’ve battled a rainbow of fuzz colors ranging from black to white to blue and green.
I’ve found that anything harsh enough to eat through the mould leaves a lingering flavor in the bottle. However, a final bleach rince followed by many a fresh water rinse works. At the end of the day, it’s not an expensive replacement.
However, a trick which has saved many bottles from the recycling bin is to put about 1/4 cup of rice (uncooked oc course) or popcorn kernels into the bottle and fill it about 1/3 - 2/3 full of your cleaning mixture.
Shake like you’re a martini fiend and in as many directions as imaginable. Grabbing each end of the bottle and swirling in circles (so that rice/kernels make 360* rotations) knocks all the nasties off the inside.
Baking soda and vinegar is often required. Apple cider vinegar leaves the least unpleasant flavor and requires less rinsing. (just make sure you have your finger over the opening!)
I hope this helps.
GB
The most important thing to do is rinse out your bottle immediately after the ride. Use hot water and a little soap. If you let it sit, even for a couple hours then the bacteria will grow exponentially.
get one of these: http://www.oxo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=103
Best $3.99 I ever spent.
If you are away from home on an extended trip, try
denture cleaning tablets. Put one in, fill with water, shake and leave overnight. Works well in camelbacks also.
Just remember to rinse and fill with water before riding.
For brand new bottles or for soap-tasting bottles a little diluted mouth wash will get rid of the funky taste most times. And you get that minty-fresh taste feeling.
Eric
Yes there is a lable, but it is the same thing they put in the swimming pool. Hmmm, must be good for something.