So I did a stupid thing: I let the bottle I use for powerade mix sit after a ride with the lid open. It grew some mold real quick like. Ok, well I did let it sit for a few days.

Anyhow, the lid and the bottle have several spots of mold and so far I've tried boiling water with baking soda and that didn't seem to make a dent. Tried running it through the dishwasher on the heavy wash setting. It made a small dent, but not much. Maybe a toothbrush for those tight spots?

buy a new bottle?

unless you can brush out the crap and soap/water clean it i would trash it...that is...unless you bought a fancy $20 bottle or something

bleach to kill the mold. a brush to scrub the debris.

Contrary to popular belief, mold won't actually kill you. Try to get it as clean as you can, if that doesn't work, then live with it.

put some bleach in water and let it soak for a few hours. The mold will vanish. Use a bottle brush to do the rest. Rinse well. It's not that complex.

Cool, a tiny dose of penicillin with every drink . . .

Seriously, bleach . . . if that doesn't work, throw it away. Water bottles are cheap.

I vote new bottle.

Doesn't everyone have a cabinet full of new bottles?

+1

It won't hurt you. Unless it gives the water a taste you can't stand, I can't see a reason to take any corrective action

Better than letting it set with the lid on.

Yeah, I'm a sucker. Every time I visit a bike shop I haven't been to before, I buy one of their logo bottles.

New bottle

Well, it is a nice Polar insulated bottle, and I've only had it for a few months, so it would be nice not to trash it. I'll pick up a bottle or camelbak brush next time I'm at a bike shop I guess. Or just use a toothbrush. If I have a extra....

So people here hoard bottles?

Bottle brush and a light bleach/water solution. Some bottles absorb the funk from whatever cleaning agent if you let them soak so be careful or you'll be tasting bleach from that point on.

Accelerade residue gets nasty in bottles quickly also-like in a few hours, probably because of the protein it has.

I bleach all of my bottles every few months. I let them soak and then I wash them with soap and water.

No biggie.

I highly recommend a carbon fiber bottle. The weight of the mold will be offset by the weight savings that CF offers over ordinary plastic.

Use that bottle as your brandy bottle. I think the alcohol will kill the mold and the brandy will kill your pain when you're hurting.

damn they beat me too it...yeah alcohol will nuke those bastads, after you have boiled it, washed it and rinsed with alcohol any remaining residue will not do you anyharm. Plus if you fill your water bottle with a bit of alcohol it will keep ya warm on those cold rides =D

Sheesh the downward spiral of civilization is well underway.

Use this method I learned from Martha Stewart to clean a coffee carafe:

Place a couple tablespoons of coarse salt in the empty bottle, add a handful of crushed ice and shake and swirl it around until the mold is removed. It worked on my bottles like a charm.

Use a little bleach in some water. Should kill and remove any mold or other nasties...
I keep a spray bottle of Clorox general purpose cleaner (a dilute bleach/water mix) and spray inside bottles and caps after each use. Let set a bit then rinse with h2o.

Note: If you use any of the new camelback bottles things get a bit more complicated since the caps and valve mechanism have more hidden areas. I have resorted to disassembing the tops periodically and soaking all the parts in bleach/water then rinse. The soft tops do come off with a little work and it doesn't seem to harm anything. Undernearth the top is a plastic cap that holds the valve. Mold will grow quickly underneath the valve unless you rinse and force clean water, or bleach water through the tops. You can get to the underneath of the valve by prying off the plastic cap - but do it carefully as it damages easily.

That's nutrients. Use them to your advantage.

Add two shots tequila, two shots margarita mix, a few ice cubs, shake vigorously and drink.

If you work in the pharmaceutical industry, brush the mold with a swab, touch a culture plate with the swab tip to transfer some of the mold to growth media. Next incubate for several days until a nice healthy cultrure grows. Send it to a lab for identification then contact an appropriate detergent/sanitization vendor for an effective, but pricey solution that will kill the mold but not harm the bottle. True this will cost thousands of dollars, but then you'll KNOW you killed that sucker.

Or you could just throw some bleach in it like I do or buy a new bottle.