• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Expert reveals how many times you should be cleaning your reusable water bottle

Home> News> Health

Updated 16:46 16 Jun 2024 GMT+1Published 16:43 16 Jun 2024 GMT+1

Expert reveals how many times you should be cleaning your reusable water bottle

Be honest, when was the last time you washed your reusable water bottle?

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

It seems like the vast majority of us have a reusable water bottle these days.

They have certainly become the must-have wellness item in recent years, and you can see why.

To start with, they’re a greener alternative to single-use plastic bottles and help us avoid consuming nanoplastics.

But on top of that, reusable water bottles offer continuous hydration, and can even be stylish enough to be part of your outfit.

Advert

However, reusable bottles can harbor a lot of germs.

Grimy water bottles can't be avoided on social media, with one particular TikTok video going viral.

An expert has revealed how many times you should be cleaning a reusable water bottle. (Getty Stock Image)
An expert has revealed how many times you should be cleaning a reusable water bottle. (Getty Stock Image)

When a creator discovered she could take apart the lid on her Stanley cup, she found something hugely unexpected.

Advert

The reusable cover was covered in blackish, mold-like spots - certainly not something you anywhere near your mouth.

Of course, washing your bottle is going to make things a lot more hygienically friendly - something backed up by Martin Bucknavage, a senior food safety extension program specialist at Penn State University.

He told Health: "Any time a bottle isn’t clean and there’s moisture in that bottle, that is always going to support the growth of microorganisms like bacteria and mold.

"Bacteria are in your mouth and the environment, so they are going to make their way into your bottle."

Advert

So, what is the best way to keep your reusable water bottle clean free?

You want to be washing them regularly. (Getty Stock Image)
You want to be washing them regularly. (Getty Stock Image)

Basically, experts agree that you need to wash your bottle regularly - particularly if you use it every single day.

Donald Schaffner, PhD, a professor of food science at Rutgers University, told Health that washing it weekly or once every couple of days would be a 'reasonable' timeframe.

Advert

However, how the bottle is stored and what it's made of may change that calculation.

"If the bottle is in a backpack or purse and the part you put your mouth on is bumping into things, it will probably get dirtier faster than if it just sits next to you all day," he said.

It's also very much dependant on what you have in the reusable bottle as well, according to experts.

Bucknavage told Health that coffee or sugary drinks allow bacteria to grow more easily. And to a lesser extent, mold as well.

Advert

While putting it in the dishwasher is probably the best way to clean your water bottle (provided it’s dishwasher safe), you can also give it a deep hand wash.

Bucknavage noted that this is more than just a rinse and involves using soap and scrubbing tools to get to areas where 'bacteria likes to hang out'.

So, if your reusable bottle hasn't had a spring clean in a while, you may want to give it a good old wash.

Featured Image Credit: Dougal Waters/Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images

Topics: Health, Social Media

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a minute ago
an hour ago
  • Alex Wong/Getty Images
    a minute ago

    Barack Obama speaks out on Jimmy Kimmel suspension and warns of 'dangerous' cancel culture

    Barack Obama snapped at hearing the news Kimmel was suspended

    News
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live via YouTube
    an hour ago

    Exactly what Jimmy Kimmel said to get his show taken off air as Trump speaks out

    'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' has been axed after 22 years following the talk show host's comments following Charlie Kirk's death

    Film & TV
  • Getty Images/Icon Sportswire
    an hour ago

    Terrifying audio shows moment ATC screamed at Spirit Airlines pilot after getting too close to Air Force One

    Air traffic control audio sparked alarm

    News
  • Instagram/neyo
    an hour ago

    Ne-Yo answers question everyone's thinking about his relationship with four girlfriends

    The singer has gone into the details of how his relationship works

    Celebrity
  • Doctors reveal how many times you should be able to swallow in 30 seconds to be 'healthy' and the results are shocking
  • Study reveals how many times a man should ejaculate per month to help prevent prostate cancer
  • Doctor reveals how to know if your cough could be deadly and when you really should get help
  • Expert reveals exact time you should be eating sugar to get 'maximum pleasure with less impact' on your body