Mountain Biking - Camelbak bladder cleaning

Hi guys,

any home recipes for cleaning the bladder? I have noticed there is some brownish goo in the inside of the bite valve...

Thanks,

Ricardo

http://walking.about.com/od/hydration/tp/camelbackclean.htm

I do the vinegar bit from time to time. And only use water :-D

My method:

Fill bladder 2/3 full with hot H2O
Add a couple shots of bleach
Shake vigorously
Let it sit a while
Rinse well
Rock on

denture cleaning tables rock!

or use white vinegar and baking soda, let it fizz up and slosh it aorund, force some thru the bit valve, rinse with hot water.

the bite valve comes apart and can be cleaned with a q-tip. i made a super long q-tip with bailing wire and some cotton t-shirt duct taped to the tip to clean out the hose (with a strong hot water and bleach solution). rinse really really really well.

If there is visible gunk inside your bladder, you may have to turn it inside out and scrub it with a cloth or soft brush. Then follow up by doing what the folks above posted - fill & rinse with some kind of cleaner (bleach, baking soda, misc) and then wash it out very thoroughly so you don't end up drinking bleach.

One washes Camelbacks? Interesting...mebbe try that some day. Might get rid of the ***** taste, no?

One trick that I've found is to keep the bladder in the freezer in between rides. Its been working for my whole family for years.

What I do is fill it up and go for a ride. When I get home, I drop it on the garage floor and walk away, or throw it in the basement where the cats can gnaw on it. When I go for another ride, I put more water in it, etc. After 5 years, I buy a new one. The best is when I go riding in the US in the fall, and bring it home with 'merican H2O in it. It will sit on the floor of the garage [ideally with some food in it] for 6 months, going through a few dozen freeze-thaw cycles. When the trails dry out, I can go on a ride and say "I filled my Camelbak up in Oregon before coming on this ride".

One trick that I've found is to keep the bladder in the freezer in between rides. Its been working for my whole family for years.
I tried keeping my family in the freezer between rides but they got really pissed so I quit.

all of the above work well...
The baking Soda will kill the bleach taste...

Nothing worse than the trotts on a bike because a) too much bleach still in your camel back b) BAD water...

IF you have more money than you know what to do with camel back sells... cleaning tablets, and brush on a really long wire you can pull through the entire tube.....

I tried keeping my family in the freezer between rides but they got really pissed so I quit.

LOL!!! Good one!

I use denture cleaning tablets to clean my C'back and never put anything in it except water (learned that lesson the 'yucky' way).

When I get home I hang it up vertically, then next ride empty, rinse, refill. I also have that black flex thing on the tube so light doesn't get in. I know a few guys that had mold problems, until they tried this.

Of course, if u use any kind of go juice in there, ya gotta clean.

What I do is fill it up and go for a ride. When I get home, I drop it on the garage floor and walk away, or throw it in the basement where the cats can gnaw on it. When I go for another ride, I put more water in it, etc. After 5 years, I buy a new one. The best is when I go riding in the US in the fall, and bring it home with 'merican H2O in it. It will sit on the floor of the garage [ideally with some food in it] for 6 months, going through a few dozen freeze-thaw cycles. When the trails dry out, I can go on a ride and say "I filled my Camelbak up in Oregon before coming on this ride".

Quit stealin' our dang water you big maple leaf! :p

Walmart has a cheap cleaning kit, or at least did a year ago, with brushes and a hanger. That combined with a strong vinegar hot water solution works wonders to get the funk out...

Store it hanging with till it dries, and then put a paper towel into it once it dries and seal it up. Just don't forget to take the paper towel out before you fill it (it really wrecks a ride!)