cleaning a hydration bladder/tube
 

So I've been using a hydration bladder in my backpack for my commute (I know in an ideal world panniers are better for many situations including lack of wet back, but in my situation - commute starts by pushing stroller with one hand and bike with other for 0.5-0.75 mile to day care - backpack is easier). I've gotten to like having water (and lots of it) right there for easy access. The thing is, my water tastes kind of funny. Don't know if it's just plasticky from the bag/tube or if there's something that needs to be cleaned out of it or what.

So what's the best way to clean the bag/tube? (it's a hydrapack brand if that matters)

I've only ever had water in there and when I'm not going to use it for long periods it's been stored empty in the freezer (short periods and the bladder is full and in the fridge and the tube is empty and out at room temp).

Am I going to want to take the bite valve/connector off the tube so I can just run (hot/soapy?) water through easier? Do they even come off? The bladder says it can be turned inside out for cleaning so I guess I'm going to do that.

Anything I should be doing differently for maintenance?

I used to play trumpet and I find that the cleaner doohicky for the trumpet works great for the tube (brush on the end of a long coil fits into the tube - remove the bite valve).

When not in use I take a bent up wire hanger and stuff it into the bladder and hang it up open so it can dry.

I've used baking soda and alka seltzer tablets, both to good effect. I add either to a full bladder of cold water, and leave it in the crisper drawer of the fridge for a day. Drain through the hose and bite valve, and rinse with fresh water.

the baking soda works well, and i use a kit for cleaning the tube that I picked up at MEC.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302889101

as a procedure, i generally follow this one, but i usually only boil the bladder occasionally. i sometimes find there is often enough chlorine residual in my tap water that will help to remove some of the bacteria anyways.
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fi...ation-pack.htm

Ooh, this sounds easy, I like that.

Tanguy, I like the brush, but unfortunately, I'm not a trumpeter. I'm a scientist and have cleaned a lot of test tubes in my day, so I was thinking about a much longer skinnier bottle brush and it sounds like you have something like that. I might try some alkaseltzer. I wonder if those fizzy tablets people use to clean their fake teeth (polydent?) would work too?

I use Cool Mint Listerine. It's an antiseptic so it'll kill the critters that will start growing in the bag and tube eventually, plus is leaves a tolerable mint-ish taste. Warm water, a cap full of listerine, shake it around for a minute, then drain it all out through the tube.

Google "camelbak brush" and you'll get lots of results. Every major Internet bike place will have at least one cleaning kit.

I would try a little bit of bleach (like a few teaspoons) and water. Let it sit for a bit and rinse well. If you get any bleach taste afterwards (I never have) you can rinse again with a mild vinegar solution to get rid of that.

This is the method used for cleaning water tanks in RVs. Works well.

... or just run a load of vodka :D

+1 on the camelbak brush. They sell cleaning tabs with it for an ungodly markup, but you can skip around that by using denture cleaning tabs for much less. Leave it in overnight, brush through it and rinse thoroughly and you're golden. Only issue I have is drying the thing out... (a Platypus 3L bag with one quarter-sized hole and ZERO air movement)

+1 on the bleach and water mix.

Also, when not in use, store the bladder in the freezer - doesn't grow bacteria that way...