Are you cleaning your water bottle enough?(bbc.com)
bbc.com
Are you cleaning your water bottle enough?
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250317-how-often-should-you-clean-your-water-bottle-and-what-is-the-best-way
5 comments
IMO the best way to go is a borosilicate glass bottle (handles frequent scrubbing and cleaning agents without problems) with a simple cap (no straw or sippy, mold/bacteria grows in there and it is impossible to clean out fully) a wide mouth (for easily getting a normal sized bottle brush inside) and with a fabric or rubber sleeve to avoid cracking when it inevitably gets bumped. Even then you'll need to occasionally check under the O-ring gasket in the cap for any bacterial growth; there's nothing like prying the gasket out and finding a couple of colonies of black mold staring back at you (ick) to ruin your day. Yes, it's heavy but most of us aren't using them in a situation where saving every gram counts.
Is there an advantage to borosilicate glass over food-grade stainless steel?
Given the choice between glass or stainless steel, I'd still go with glass because it's easier to directly see dirty spots that you may have missed when scrubbing with the bottle brush and also because there's no risk of corrosion from bleach or other cleaning agents if bacteria/mold does start growing inside. If you're really thorough with cleaning and disciplined about doing it regularly, those might not be considerations.
[EDIT] I'd also give the nod to glass if you like flavorants with your water. I sometimes use a bit of lemon juice powder (not lemonade drink mix, that's something different; lemon juice powder is lemon juice that has been dehydrated with no additives) and stainless steel can develop corrosion pits from mildly acidic liquids over time.
[EDIT] I'd also give the nod to glass if you like flavorants with your water. I sometimes use a bit of lemon juice powder (not lemonade drink mix, that's something different; lemon juice powder is lemon juice that has been dehydrated with no additives) and stainless steel can develop corrosion pits from mildly acidic liquids over time.
I believe stainless steel has a slight anti-microbial property not present in glass.
Either way, both are far better than plastic. Plastic has no such anti-microbial effect AND tends to scratch from cleaning which makes wonderful footholds for bacteria. Further, because plastic is a hydrocarbon it is a potential food source for bacteria and fungus.
Even if the bacteria/fungus is harmless, you are looking at ingesting a bunch of plastic as it starts to degrade.
Either way, both are far better than plastic. Plastic has no such anti-microbial effect AND tends to scratch from cleaning which makes wonderful footholds for bacteria. Further, because plastic is a hydrocarbon it is a potential food source for bacteria and fungus.
Even if the bacteria/fungus is harmless, you are looking at ingesting a bunch of plastic as it starts to degrade.
I didn’t know there were still bottles using BPA, is that true?
We are a big Nalgene bottle family, as the wide mouths are easy to drink and clean from, and the caps are attached since our children would lose them instantly.
I’ve always had side eye to narrow mouths bottles, even Nalgene because it’s hard to clean without a brush.
I like the idea of stainless steel bottles a great deal, but a few detriments. The greatest is since they are have a steel to plastic/silicone interface they are harder to seal tight — always seem to leak. They also all tend to be made in China, and I’m unclear if they are coated inside or if the plastic cap is BPA free — Nalgene are US made by a scientific supply company which makes plastics for labs, so content is very controlled. Even though microplastics probably still issue with Titan polyester bottles.
Plastic bottles are also much cheaper and lighter, as for kids to carry around and frequently lose.
I’m not sure if sanitizing plastic is good or not — I remember dishwashing trigger BPA release from the polycarbonate Nalgenes.
So soapy hot water and let it sit for ten minutes, rinse, and air dry. Will give it a try!
We are a big Nalgene bottle family, as the wide mouths are easy to drink and clean from, and the caps are attached since our children would lose them instantly.
I’ve always had side eye to narrow mouths bottles, even Nalgene because it’s hard to clean without a brush.
I like the idea of stainless steel bottles a great deal, but a few detriments. The greatest is since they are have a steel to plastic/silicone interface they are harder to seal tight — always seem to leak. They also all tend to be made in China, and I’m unclear if they are coated inside or if the plastic cap is BPA free — Nalgene are US made by a scientific supply company which makes plastics for labs, so content is very controlled. Even though microplastics probably still issue with Titan polyester bottles.
Plastic bottles are also much cheaper and lighter, as for kids to carry around and frequently lose.
I’m not sure if sanitizing plastic is good or not — I remember dishwashing trigger BPA release from the polycarbonate Nalgenes.
So soapy hot water and let it sit for ten minutes, rinse, and air dry. Will give it a try!