dmanthree

Take some dishwasher gel (for an automatic dishwasher), put a few ounces in the bottle, and fill it 1/4 of the way with HOT water. Cap it and shake it for a few minutes. Rinse a few times and it's as clean as new.

rm -rf

I've gotten mold or something similar in a Podium nozzle that sat around too long.

Set it in a bowl, and drip straight bleach into the nozzle. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Do the same thing with the nozzle down. Fill the bottle with water and a little dish detergent, shake and squirt to rinse out the bleach. I've used q-tips on caps too.

This bleach treatment did alter the color of a dark cap, making it translucent green instead.

rm -rf

Camelbak Podium bottles have a liner that doesn't have that nasty plastic taste. The older generic bottles would have bad tasting water after just a few hours.

I've filled a Podium with water and let it sit for two days. No plastic taste.

And the silicone valves are much better than the old pull-up valves.

Witterings

I didn't use them as I ended up buying a new bottle in the end but did think about using baby bottle sterilising tablets on an old one I have where baking soda hadn't done much of a job.

Not meaning to make this into a sales pitch for Camelbak Podiums but I've only recently managed to change my bike set up to be able to carry 2 bottles and only have one of them, I though the thermal one didn't work and was a marketing ploy until using one directly after a non Camelbak on the same ride which made me realise they do actually work and I must admit the nozzle is way better to drink out of than the others which seem to leak down the side.

Think you can get an extra chill one so may look at getting one of those as well .... doesn't half beat drinking water that's still slightly chilled rather than something that's sat in direct sunlight for 3 hours and got warm.

biker222

This shows how to disassemble the whole nozzle assemble. I just let them sit in hot soapy water wth cap full of Clorox in 3 cups water for 1/2 hr. Then pour water in bottle and sit same time.

Mitkraft

Usually I just use hot water and dishwashing liquid. Fill the bottle, shake it up well, squirt some soapy water through the nozzle, repeat with just water, then rinse well. Occasionally I'll disasmble the nozzle as described above and put the parts inside will I do the previously outlined steps. Once in a while I'll also add some bleach to the water.

TimothyH

Only on bikeforums can people make such a big deal out of a task as mundane as washing dishes.

I don't know why anyone would put up with such a product, let alone praise it.


-Tim-

roadsnakes

It's not as easy as That!!!

I've washed my bottles!

But , after a while they taste and smell funky!

Koyote

What are some of you people putting in these bottles? I manage to use mine until they split open from being squeezed too many times, or the caps no longer thread on properly, and they never smell bad. And all I do is rinse 'em after a ride and stick 'em in the dishwasher.

no motor?

I've been wondering the same thing.

bobwysiwyg

No worse than how to wash socks or underwear.

roadsnakes

Don't have a dishwasher!

After numerous uses, just washing and rinsing does not do the job!

SpinClassSara

Nothing lasts forever.

Myosmith

Keep your bottles from getting funky and they will be easier to clean. Don't take your nearly empty bottle of carb water (sports drink, lemonade, tea with honey, or whatever) and leave it on the bike, counter, in your sports bag or in a hot car for a day or two before attempting to clean it. Drain it and shake it out ASAP after a ride and rinse with clean water if possible.

I use the dishwasher top rack and make sure that the bottle is bone dry inside and out before storage. If I forgot and let a bottle get funky, a tablespoon of bleach in a 1/2 bottle of hot water, shaken several times over 10 minutes or so, and the water then expelled through the mouthpiece seems to kill anything and get any residue loosened up for the dishwasher to finish off. A bottle brush will work if you forget so long there is dark stuff forming on the sides, but really, why ever let a bottle get to this point?

I get new bottles from various cycling events (the Fargo Cyclothon gives away nice Camelback bottles every spring) so I have several around and would be willing to chuck one if it became questionable, even after a normal cleaning. Some of my bottles are several years old, badly scratched and the logos worn off, but they still smell, taste and work just fine.

trailangel

My mom always washes my water bottles.

baldilocks

Sorry, I was MIA.

I agree in emptying them as soon as possible. I also would occasionally wash them with dish soap. As for the white vinegar, I would just rinse it with maybe half cup or so straight vinegar. It should kill germs and won't hurt you if it gets in your water.

Dr.Lou

Same here. Seemed like the right thing to do...

gringomojado

Antibiotics, germicide hand cleaners,killing mold,cleaning water bottles, and bathing every day, is making us weak ! Let the bottle grow more mold, makes water taste better. Same goes for the coffee cups

50PlusCycling

Household bleach works best. As a former Army medic, I was responsible for making sure that water facilities were clean. Canteens, lister bags, and water buffalo trailers needed to be properly clean, and bleach does the job. A small bottle of bleach carried in your rucksack can also be used to treat water from streams and rivers and make it safe to drink, just add a couple or three drops to a canteen of water, let it sit for awhile, and it is ready to drink.

Witterings

Totally get the cleaning bottles with bleach but I don't know why but adding some to water to drink just doesn't compute in my mind ... absolutely 100% not questioning what you say but I don't know why but it just doesn't sit well with me.

Might go back to when I was a kid, it was in the local papers when some tramp (are they still called bum sin the US) tried topping himself by drinking a bottle of bleach (unless he thought it was an alcohol substitute) and I just imagined it eating your insides and a very slow and painful death .... although I believe he survived.

When you say 2/3 drops to a canteen of water ... what do you mean by a canteen the size of a drinking bottle for cycling or over here a canteen would be a huge earn holding 5/10 liters.

Any idea as well what the water purifying tablets contain ... maybe it's just bleach????

50PlusCycling

Water purification tablets contain iodine. For a gallon of water, 6 to 12 drops of bleach are necessary, the dirtier the water, the more you add. You must use regular bleach, not scented bleach, or color-safe bleach, which can be poisonous. Ordinary bleach is usually 6% to 8% chlorine. If you live in a city, your drinking water contains chlorine, more or less depending on the kind of water, here in Tokyo the smell of chlorine in the water is obvious, but it causes no harm.