Chicago Home and Lifestyles – How often should you clean your reusable water bottle?

Probably way more often than you do. From the bacteria that live naturally in your mouth to the bacteria naturally growing in room temperatures, you might be surprised at just how much is living in your bottle. Of course, the type also depends on what is in your bottle. Tap water naturally contains microbes but even boiled tap water (which should kill most of the bacteria) can still rapidly grow bacteria populations as they are used during the day. Anything containing sugar will exponentially increase bacteria growth; protein shakes and smoothies are the worst. 

Try keeping your bottle in the fridge between uses. That would help a bit as the bacteria grows a lot at room temperature. Bacteria counts at midmorning on average are around 75,000 per ml to 1-2 million by the next morning. 

Wash your hands before using your bottle. Seems obvious, but can have a huge effect. Dangerous bacteria like E. coli can hitch a ride on our hands, transfer to our water bottles and end up on our lips. Thankfully, most bacteria are harmless. But it is still possible to get an infection or a stomach bug, especially if you’re immunocompromised. 

Disinfect your bottle regularly. Many of us give a perfunctory rinse with hot water when we notice the water tasting a bit bad, but that is not enough. Use hot water, over 140 degrees, and dishwashing liquid. Swirl it around and let it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing with hot water. Lids should be soaked in a container with soapy water and brushed. You can find special brushes online that will get into all the nooks and crannies. Then, leave it to air dry. Water only drinkers can do this 3-4 times a week. Tea, coffee or juice drinkers should wash your bottles daily. 

Scientific literature has yet to trace serious illness back to reusable water bottles, as identifying single point sources of infection is notoriously difficult. Nevertheless, keeping your water bottle clean is important, if only for the gross factor. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago