How and when to clean bottles (and why just rinsing them is not needed)

Water bottle, what a passion! But how often and how should it be cleaned even if it only contains water? It's not enough just to give it a rinse.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Water bottle, what a passion! But how often and how should it be cleaned even if it only contains water? What is the best way to sanitize them?

More and more people decide to say goodbye to polluting plastic bottles to use water bottles, eco, reusable and indestructible. The "bottle craze" is rampant and even the stars are beginning to make massive use of it. But have you ever thought that even those should be washed? What is the best way to sanitize water bottles?

What seems certain, in fact, is that a simple rinse is not enough. To "contaminate" the bottles in steel or aluminum (but also in glass) are essentially algae and microorganisms, while, you know, water and humidity are a real paradise for invisible algae, fungi, molds, bacteria , spores and more.

This is why running water alone is not enough. All those beautiful microorganisms must be eliminated at least with elbow grease, especially if instead of water in the bottle we had put something else (such as an herbal tea or any drink). So the bottle should be washed carefully and, above all, every day.

Index

A systematic review

Not washing the bottle every day, in short, puts you at risk of germs and bacteria. A study published in the Journal of Excercise Physiology Online, after analyzing samples from 30 bottles of people exercising in the gym, found that 83% of the containers were contaminated with staph or E-coli.

Germs can contaminate the bottle and it is enough to touch the mouth and dirty hands and forget to close it after drinking.

How to wash water bottles

If you have one water bottle in stainless steel, fill it halfway with hot water and a drop of dish soap. After closing it, shake vigorously for a few seconds, then empty it, rinse several times and let it dry. Don't forget to scrub the too stopper and its thread.

If it is "dishwasher safe", just put the bottle along with the rest of the dishes in a normal load.

Vinegar or baking soda: Another method is to fill half a bottle with white vinegar and water, leave the solution to act overnight and then rinse well the next morning. Same procedure by putting a spoonful of baking soda instead of vinegar.

If the water bottle is made of aluminum, better not to clean with acidic substances or even with baking soda, which should never be used to clean aluminum cookware or kitchen utensils. In fact, being strongly alkaline, bicarbonate reacts with aluminum causing it to lose its luster and color.

In all cases, however, always use a bottle brush, especially if the neck of the bottle is too narrow to reach the bottom and inner walls with the sponge.

At the time of purchase

If you don't have one yet, but are ready to buy a new green bottle, look for one in stainless steel with the removable bottom, that provides easy access to the bottom and inside.

Better to prefer, then, those with wide opening which will also have a straighter internal surface and more accessible with a sponge or brush.

Finally, make sure that it is in stainless steel for food use, checking that on the package or container that it is in stainless steel 18/8 or 304 (the two categories of stainless steel for food use).