General Cycling Discussion - How do you clean your water bottle?

I admit, I have problems keeping my water bottle clean. No, I don't put anything in there except water. But I use spring water, not sure if that makes a difference. I imagine it does, because it doesn't have chlorine which prevents mold from growing. Anyway, I've tried cleaning the water bottle with dish detergent (the kind that is "safe" if consumed accidentally) - that lasts an hour or so, then it starts smelling moldy again. Almost as bad as just rinsing with tap water. I've tried ammonia, that seems to work for a few hours. I've tried bleach, and I can't recall exactly how well that worked, maybe it worked for a day, but it seemed extreme... hard to get the bleachy smell out by rinsing I think.

So what can I do to get it clean enough to LAST a few days before it needs another cleaning? Is there some magic potion or method of shaking the potion that I haven't heard about? I know the pros just throw their water bottles at the crowd near the end of every race, but I don't have an expense account for water bottles.

Hot water, use dishwashing liquid, and if that doesn't work, add a little bleach to the water too, and then turn it upside down on the drying rack to let it dry for a few hours. It always works for me.

Throw the bottle away.......and when you get the new one rinse it out with hot water and soap or whatever after every use. If it starts to taste or smell moldy after only a few days, then its either in your head, its actually the taste of the soap, or the bottle was made from some nasty weird plastic. Just get a new one.....whats 5 bucks? It has to be the plastic, I use my bottle over and over and over until either mud gets inside or....something. I cant even remember the last time I washed my bottle, its always "I have 15 minutes to meet to go ride" so I rinse it out with hot water, throw in some ice cubes and go.

Bleach is definitly the way to go, let in sit in the bottle for about an hour (I'm not sure how long is best) and the rince it and wash it to make sure you get every last molecute of that bleach out.

In the dishwasher. Use baby bottle sterilizer if it smells suspect.

Your just not riding hard enough!!!!

When your really into the zone, water is water.

also a little "real lemon" squirted into the bottle does help.

Ok guys, I will try soaking in bleach again, I never tried soaking for as long as 30 minutes. I'm afraid I won't be following the advise of Klein, because this is not the only water bottle that's been a problem for me, and it seems buying a new one would not help.

As for 1oldRoadie, are you serious? I mean, I wouldn't mind drinking the water, I can't usually tell if it's bad from the taste, only the smell, but mainly I'm worried about the health effects of drinking this fetid water. Are there any?

Your bottle...your water!

Now that camelbak of mine that has been in the closet since august..I worry about.

Wash it with warm water and dishwashing liquid after every ride--just a drop of diswashing detergent, fill with warm water, cap, shake shake shake. Squirt some suds out of the spout to wash the outside of the bottle, squirt some soapy water out, and rinse all parts well. Air dry. If you store a bottle wet, it will provide mold with an ideal place to grow.

Mmm... air dry? You mean, with a hair dryer? Or just leave the lid off? What if I just put some water in immediately without letting it dry? Is that bad?

Originally posted by joelr
I'm afraid I won't be following the advise of Klein


Ouch, I was actually trying to help.:mad: Anyway....umm....if your washing it out that much and just a little while after it starts smelling like mold....well I guess it just dosent make sense. The whole thing dosent make sense, that is my conclusion.

Ok, just hold the jokes (I know they are coming). Efferdent works very well. I used it on my electric toothbrush tips as was suggested in the Braun manual and figured water bottles would be a great use. The mega-gargantuan box from Costco lasts forever!

It rinses out easy and no bad odors

Those scubbing bubbles just clean away all the stuff you don't want and leave it smelling fresh as a Spring day.

Disclaimer - just like the commercial, I am not financially tied to Pfizer except maybe 0.00000000000001%

Just don't cap them wet and store them. I shake out the excess water and store them uncapped, on their sides. Putting water in them right away and using them ought not be bad.

I just do a good rinse after each use and leave open to dry. I only use water in my water bottle. If you are concerned about bacteria I would suggest two ounces of vodka per ten ounces of water to keep it fresh through the whole ride. [that's a joke son].

When I was buying bottled water in 5 gallon containers and humping all of them home, they guy at the "Water to Go" place recommended using a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the 5 gallon containers.

This would probably work for small containers as well.

Dan

Household bleach works well. You don't need full strength. That would be overkill and the plastic will absorb it and make you bottle taste like an overchlorinated pool for quite some time.

I take a cap full or so of bleach and dilute it in about 8 ozs of water and throw it into the water bottle and fill it up with water. The mix is about right if it has a nice distinct chlorine smell still without being overpowering. Then fill with normal tap water, let sit for a few hours and repeat a few times. The bleach will kill virtually all the microbial stuff. It is a reasonably good disinfectant.

I suppose if you wanted to avoid offtastes (if you are really sensitive), you could add a little lemon juice to the bottle. But then you are adding some nutrients and it will stimulate microbial growth which means you will have to clean the bottle more often.

Also water bottles are not that expensive and they do get past their prime after awhile (I am one to talk, I have gotten years of use out of a bottle).

Rinse your water bottle out with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
If bottle is really dirty from mould and mildew get new one:)

It's not visibly moldy, and after rinsing it out with water or vinegar or soap, it smells fine - for an hour or two.

Hmm, I think vodka beats bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar
for aftertaste
:beer:

Originally posted by Waxbytes
Hmm, I think vodka beats bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar
for aftertaste
:beer:

151 rum or Jack Daniels will work too.....and if you put to much in, then its easier to siphen off the EXTRA:p

i reused an old water bottle till it had a green growth at the bottom. it looked like the start of alge in a fish tank once it got to the size of a quarter i decided i needed a new one. the bottle sat in a truck every night and rode in the truck all day with varing amounts of sunlight. and it only got water from the water dispencer at work, was filled at least once a day most of the time many more then that. i still really dont know what the green stuff was the water never tasted different. i think i used it for close to a month that way, just call me cheap i knew the water i put in was good tasting, as to if it was good for me , im still kicking

Air dry= leave them on the dish rack turned upside down to drip dry.

When you get back from a ride and you're too tired to wash them out, just fill them with water until you have time to clean them.

Fill new bottles with water and let stand for a 24 hours to get rid of new plastic taste....

Not my 2 cents about cleaning; just my 2 cents about bottles. I love the clear, lexan Nalgene bottles. No bad odors or plastic taste. The 14 oz size fits perfectly in the cage. However, you must twist off the cap before drinking. Nalgene also makes a bottle with a flip up dome lid which keeps the spout clean but it is not made of lexan.

Why clean em? All that's ever in them is water, and occasionally Gatorade.

Well, when the water smells bad, and later starts to taste bad, is it still wrong to clean it?

I always use use Swiggies wrist water bottle. Its is very easy to clean.
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wrist water bottle (http://www.swiggies.com/) | promotional water bottles (http://www.swiggies.com/)

I squirt a little dab of tooth paste in and swish it around with water.Then leave it stand a while,(sometimes forget about it and leave it stand for hours), then rinse with clean water and leave to air dry out.Always smells fresh and no odd tastes.

Why clean em? All that's ever in them is water, and occasionally Gatorade.

Everything has bacteria on it, including clean water. The key to keep the amount of bacteria at safe levels.

I use well water, so no chlorine in the water here either. Whatever you use to clean, make sure you scrub too. Otherwise, the killed stuff sticks to the bottle and provides a medium for new growth. As for what to use, bleach water is still the first choice, but not full strength! Fill with water, add a few tsp of bleach and let it sit overnight, then wash with dish water afterward. Other sanitizers you could use would be rubbing alcohol or Windex-type surface cleaner. (Make sure you wash thoroughly afterward.) Or you can use denture cleaning tablets or mouthwash if you want something with a less toxic aftertaste.

Mmm... air dry? You mean, with a hair dryer? Or just leave the lid off? What if I just put some water in immediately without letting it dry? Is that bad?

Yes, let it dry completely. Get more than one bottle and cycle through them. Use a clean one each day and let the others dry completely.

Why clean em? All that's ever in them is water, and occasionally Gatorade.

Backwash!

I use a generic version of Polident tablets for cleaning dentures. Was initially recommended to me for cleaning H2O bladders for hydration packs. Rinse it out with hot water afterward and zero after taste.

I think any bacteria in the OP's water bottle died of old age in the six and a half years since they started this thread.

Everything has bacteria on it, including clean water. The key to keep the amount of bacteria at safe levels.

What about storing them in the frig? When I come in from a ride, I refill them and stick them back in the frig which is set at 37 degrees!

Bike bottles are a pain. Just use regular bottles a few times and recycle. If you put 'em in your cage upside-down it's very secure.

128305

i've tried everything vinegar to baking soda...etc...
one day i was day-dreaming and came up with a great solution and stuck with it ever since
i put one cap full of Amber Listerine & giving it a good hard shake and emptying it
turning it over upside-down overnite opened, then rinse it in the morning with some distilled water

Then Filler Up! :D

dishwasher

I just wash it under the hot tap; then I shake off all water and trow the open bottle in the deep freeze until next fill.

ya i agree but with narrow spouts the dishwasher wont do much... with larger openings i do use the dishwasher
dishwasher

Wash in sink, then soak in Milton (baby bottle sterilising solution).
The good stuff doesn't even need to be rinsed off after use.

soap and water, then air dry....sheesh its not that hard!

My nalgene water bottle that I use for work is rinsed nightly, and allowed to air dry upright and filled the next day. It sees probably 4-5 fills/day at work...love my water :)

Just water and I keep the bottle and lid upside down on paper towels to dry. When I notice fungus in the water bottles; I toss em and buy new ones.

Urine is sterile and free. Some people recommend peeing in the bottle, but not I.

I suppose if you wanted to avoid offtastes (if you are really sensitive), you could add a little lemon juice to the bottle. But then you are adding some nutrients and it will stimulate microbial growth which means you will have to clean the bottle more often.

Also water bottles are not that expensive and they do get past their prime after awhile (I am one to talk, I have gotten years of use out of a bottle).

+100 absolutely correct, I added this to my water bottle before and it started growing stuff on the walls, where I never previously had a problem.

I normally clean mine in the dish washer. If it is not sprayed clean the high temps will sterilize it.

Vinegar, baking soda, dish soap all work. Make sure you squeeze the soapy stuff our through the nozzle to flush out any moldy crud that may be hiding in the nozzle tip.

I switched to stainless bottles. I also wash them daily and allow them to dry. I don't have your problem and my water always tastes fresh.

I squirt a little dab of tooth paste in and swish it around with water.Then leave it stand a while,(sometimes forget about it and leave it stand for hours), then rinse with clean water and leave to air dry out.Always smells fresh and no odd tastes.

Except for the odd toothpaste taste.

i wash mine in the dishwasher then store them with the lid off

I admit, I have problems keeping my water bottle clean. No, I don't put anything in there except water. But I use spring water, not sure if that makes a difference. I imagine it does, because it doesn't have chlorine which prevents mold from growing. Anyway, I've tried cleaning the water bottle with dish detergent (the kind that is "safe" if consumed accidentally) - that lasts an hour or so, then it starts smelling moldy again. Almost as bad as just rinsing with tap water. I've tried ammonia, that seems to work for a few hours. I've tried bleach, and I can't recall exactly how well that worked, maybe it worked for a day, but it seemed extreme... hard to get the bleachy smell out by rinsing I think.

So what can I do to get it clean enough to LAST a few days before it needs another cleaning? Is there some magic potion or method of shaking the potion that I haven't heard about? I know the pros just throw their water bottles at the crowd near the end of every race, but I don't have an expense account for water bottles.

Dishwasher. Use the upper rack. If they get too funky, dispose of them...properly of course.