Clean your reusable bottle...daily!
Did you know your reusable water bottle, no matter what it is made of, needs to be washed every day? Failure to wash your bottle daily, even if you only use it for water, could cause you to get sick. The moist environment that remains in your bottle is the perfect place for bacteria to grow.
Rinsing is NOT enough
I would be willing to bet that most of you empty and rinse your bottle most evenings, but just rinsing with water alone is not good enough to kill what may be growing in your bottle. If you are just drinking water by itself you would think that is enough but it is not and let’s not even go down the path of adding anything to your water such as lemon, supplements, or anything else. The breeding ground for bacteria increases with anything other than water being put into your bottle.
4 ways to clean your bottle DAILY
Dishwasher
Most reusable bottles are dishwasher safe on the top rack. Because the bottles tend to be tall, be certain they are not in the way of the arm at the top of your washer. Typically the lid can go in as well but I would caution if you have a straw, that is best washed with the next method.
Soap, hot water and bottle brushes
Dish soap and hot water is a great way to wash your bottle quickly on a daily basis. With this method, it is essential that you use bottle brushes to get into all of the nooks and crannies, especially in the lid and in the straw if you have one. There is a great 3-piece bottle brush set available on Amazon. (NOTE: This is an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you use this link to purchase this product.) Leave your bottle open overnight to dry, putting the lid back on while it is wet will start the bacteria growth process that you just worked hard to avoid.
Soaking with vinegar
Grab that vinegar out of your pantry and let’s get that bottle cleaned. This method is a soaking method that is done overnight. Put at least ¼ cup of white vinegar into your bottle, then fill to the top with water. Place the lid and straw, if you have one, back on the bottle, give it a few tilts back and forth and leave to sit overnight. Keep in mind that this does not clean all of the lid so be sure to give that a quick cleaning with some soap and water before filling your bottle. Empty the vinegar mixture and rinse, refill and you are ready to go!
3% Peroxide for a sparkling cleaning
If the inside of your bottle is really looking slimy, or if it’s getting smelly, this is a good method to help with that. Put ¼ cup of 3% peroxide into your bottle. Tightly replace the cap and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Pour out and rinse well before refilling. Again, same as with the vinegar method, this is not taking care of all of the parts of the lid so be certain to use your bottle brush to get the lid cleaned as well.
It is super important that we hydrate throughout the day and during our workouts, but let’s make certain we are not making ourselves sick in the process. Take a couple of minutes EVERY DAY to care for your reusable bottle so we are certain to be healthy BEFORE we NEED to be healthy!