Fifty Plus (50+) - Water Bottles

Any good ways to clean water bottles. Mine sometimes get "grunge" in the bottom, which is even difficult to get at with a brush. Any suggestions?

Sure it is "in" the bottle and not on the bottom of it?
I thought I had something "in" mine but it was just the dirt on the outside.

Also I always take mine and rinse out after every ride.

Sure it is "in" the bottle and not on the bottom of it?
I thought I had something "in" mine but it was just the dirt on the outside.

Also I always take mine and rinse out after every ride.

I guess that's really my problem. I have too many bottles, which means that they sometimes sit for a few days before they get washed. Squeky(sp) wheel gets the grease, I get dysentery!!:)

denture cleaning tablet?seems appropriate for this forum.:D

"Wash" them regularly.

A better solution would be to replace them with opaque bottles and don't look inside them.

Camelbaks (sic) rule.

I no longer use bottles.

Camelbaks (sic) rule.

I no longer use bottles.

The denture cleaning tablets are also recomended for Bladders...............:D

The brush sold for cleaning baby bottles works very well. Check the infant section at your local store

The denture cleaning tablets are also recomended for Bladders...............:D

It's lying flat in the freezer, half full of ice.

When I use it, I set it out for ten minutes, then fill it with cold water. The ice slab keeps my back and the water cold.

I never see scum in it.

My original response was to suggest a better way.

A little chlorine bleach then dish soap and rinse well. Chlorine sterilizes too.

May be able to use a small dish washing cloth and a long spoon to scrub the bottom.

I use water bottles for water only. No problem ever with deposits. Just sort of clean it every time I fill it with water. That is all I use for up to 70 mile rides. Above that I need replenish electrolytes,
Gatorade and such, it goes into a trow away bottle. Too much trouble to get that 100% clean and that is a problem if it is not clean.

If you have gunk in there that won't come out with minor effort, it's dumpster time.

Put in a tablespoon of bleach then fill bottle with HOT water. Be sure to squeeze some solution up into spout; let sit overnight. Rinse bottle thoroughly until the bleach smell disappears.

The trick is to clean them before the crud sets in. If one ever gets to the point that it is hard to clean, I toss it in the recycling bin.

Hi,

A lot of good suggestions for getting rid of the crud.

One prevention suggestion I didn't see is what I do. Right after my ride I rinse the bottle and then put it in the dishwasher. I put the cap in the silverware holder section that has a "flap" to keep things from coming out. I make sure the spout on the cap is open. No problems with crud in my bottles.

When I get back from a ride, I throw them in the dishwasher. They are cleaned that day. I buy 6 new bottles every spring and toss last years out.

You must have hit "send" as I was typing Cleave. Yep, do as Cleave says and you will never have issues. I always get freaked out when you see people leave dirty water bottles in their cages in the garage or when they take the bike in for maintenance.

Dishwasher again- but For the Camelback- I use baby bottle disinfecting tablets. After a dose of that- any crud left in the bottle is inert and what I can't see-----

Who cleans bottles? I just toss them on the road when they're empty just like the Euro pro's.

No, seriously, I toss them in the dishwasher, but I have heard that this might release some of the chemicals in the plastic; not sure how true that is.

In British Columbia, there is a deposit on all beverage bottles, so whenever I've got an empty Gatorade or Coke bottle in the cage, and I'm in an urban area and I see a homeless person, I have been known to whistle at the guy and then toss the empty bottle across the sidewalk in his vicinity. Yeah, it's kinda patronizing, but it's efficient.

L.

Rinse 'em out, hot water after the ride is all this dishwasher does. Mostly cuz I fill 'em with lemonade.

I concur with the dishwasher method. Even when I use a sports drink, if I put it in the dishwasher right after the ride, I never have problems.

formerbrit hit it on the head.

Any of these (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_14?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=bottle+cleaner+brush&sprefix=bottle+cleaner) will work. Seeing as our baby is 20 years old, I got a sponge end bottle cleaner from Target that works great for me.

The dishwasher is most effective for the large mouth bottles which are popular now. With the old style bottles with the smaller caps, not much spray makes it inside the bottle. Those I wash in the sink using a brush made for washing inside of glasses. The hardest part is making sure to rinse out all the soap.

Camelbaks (sic) rule.

I no longer use bottles.

I use Camelbak bottles.

It's lying flat in the freezer, half full of ice.

Huummm.... seems like a great idea for any container.

In So. Fla in the summer, however, it's not the best approach. I prepare 2 24 oz insulated water bottles the night before. One get frozen solid, the other refrigerated. On a 2 hr morning ride, but the time I need the 2nd, its defrosted, cold and ready. Come "winter" the 1/2 bottle approach sounds good.

:thumb:

Regarding the OP issue, that's a real problem here. Gotta clean those baby's out ASAP as all kinds of nasty things grow quick.

Toxic black mold is a real problem for all, and loves warm wet environs. Keep those bottles clean and dry in any weather. A 10% clorox warm water solution for 20 min. will wipe out any problem.

I use Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles and have no problems. You can try a baby bottle brush to clean the bottoms (after a good soaking of course)!

I use Camelbak bottles.
+1
Camelbak ChillJacket :thumb:
I wash them after each ride and wash them in the top rack of the dishwasher about every other week.

Bleach and dishwasher soap, add hot water and let it sit for awhile. Rinse and it should look like new. If you have one of those weird shaped bottles that are hard to clean with a brush, put a half a paper towel in there with bleach, soap and water to about 1/3 to half full, put on the top and swirl/spin the mixture. The paper towel will clean the hard to reach spots.

I use Camelbak bottles.

When I was riding road, many years ago, I used bottles. When they were empty, I kept them in the freezer to avoid bacterial growth.

When I quit riding road and sold my road bikes to buy an mtb bike, keeping bottles in cages on the bike was just not practical. I'd get to the bottom of the hill and the bottle was gone. I tossed all my bottles and bought a Camelbak.