I wouldn’t be surprised if you had at least one or more reusable water bottles, from Stanley, Owala, Hydroflask or another popular brand.We take staying hydrated very seriously, but whether or not we’re as on top of cleaning our reusable water bottles is another story.
Just like drinking your daily recommended amount of water is important, keeping your water bottle clean and free of grime, mold and bacteria is a must.To find how to clean a reusable water bottle the right way, and how often you should be doing it, I spoke to multiple microbiology experts for their guidance and product recommendations.
What should you use to clean a reusable water bottle?To properly clean a reusable water bottle at home, you should follow the methods you use to clean plates, glass cups and other everyday items that you eat or drink from.A mix of lukewarm water and mild liquid dish soap is all you need, according to Dr.
Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine.Mild dish soap is ideal since it has surfactants, an active ingredient that makes water molecules more fat soluble and decreases the surface tension of water, according to our experts.
“[This makes it] easy to destroy microbes,” says Dr.Philip Tierno, clinical professor at the department of pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
This way, you can “make it very hostile for an organism to survive.” Tierno also recommends using lukewarm water, since water that is too cold has a harder time dissolving soap, which can hinder its effectiveness.In addition to soap and water, you can also use common ingredients you may already have in your pantry, like distilled white vinegar or baking soda.Distilled vinegar, though not a powerful killer of germs, can remove fatty particles, according to Tierno, who also says that baking soda can be effective in releasing “gaseous material” to help extract particles.
As far as tools go,...