Kind of a rant — I drink water and flavored-water beverages, and I don’t wanna buy 24-packs of water and trust my local municipality to recycle. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Either way, it’s not recycle, it’s “reduce, reuse, recycle.” I’ll drink a Gatorade (Zero) and reuse it a few times and then toss it.
But if I want a reusable bottle — there’s one by Aladdin (Thermos) I like, and one by Zojirushi, I’ve bought two of each over the years. Just tossed the Zojirushi. Zojirushi is a Japanese brand, very high quality, but a bit over-engineered. It’s got this rubber gasket and plug that, you can clean them daily, they get black spots. Not sure if it’s mould or what, but it’s kinda gross and I don’t like it. The Aladdin/Thermos one is a bit better, didn’t think there was any mould anywhere until I dropped it, the cap flew out, mould farm inside! Nowhere that touched the beverage so that was nice. But I’m kinda done with both of them. I would rather just waste plastic than risk drinking from a mouldy reusable cup.
Are there reusable bottles that aren’t mould farms?
I wish I knew. Scouring a metal bottle by using a bottle brush with a little water and rock salt or baking soda can help de-scum the films that lead to mold.
Historically, these are the consensus fave in reusable bottles:
Unflavored dental appliance cleaning tablets work great as well to help further clean them
Youtuber “Miranda Goes Outside” just came out with a bottle that’s supposed to resemble a Smart Water bottle in form-factor but have the entire top unscrew ( in addition to the narrow standard bottle cap) for easy cleaning.
I just use a plastic volvic bottle. They’re usually fine for a couple of weeks. I guess it would depend what’s in your local water supply.
The only thing that ever comes in contact with my water bottle is water. It is always spotless.
You are contaminating it with your mouth when you drink from it. If you put sugary stuff in there, you are basically carrying a petri around with you and asking why its growing stuff.
Anything that’s wet all the time is going to grow mold or algae or whatever.
Whether you rinse or scrub, if you just shake off the drips or even towel it off before you fill it up again it’s going to get gross.
It needs to spend a significant amount of time completely dry.
The solution is to have 2 bottles and switch them every few days.
Reading other replies, I find it interesting. I use a manna water bottle (big 128fl oz one) and typically drink about half a day. I normally can let it be for quite awhile (a few weeks I’d say) before feeling like I should clean it.
this is less a problem with the bottle and more a problem with how you’re not cleaning them well enough.
Just learn how to clean them and clean them. There is no magic bottle that doesn’t.
The solution to your problem is not to buy one specific bottle. The solution is to have two separate water bottles, so that you can swap and clean them on your own time.
Yeti wide mouth because it’s easy to clean. I just flush it with hot tap water and a drop of Dawn, let it sit for a few minutes, then hold my hand over the mouth and shake. Rinse thoroughly, then dry right side up so condensation doesn’t build up inside. The part to really pay attention to is the mouthpiece, but that is quickly cleaned with some soapy water and a rag.
Also, DON’T use your dishes rag/sponge on your water bottles, as it always has residual dish gunk (no matter how many times you rinse it) that will actually make your water bottle dirtier. Keep a separate rag for washing drinking bottles and wring it properly when you’re done.
I have one of those and it’s the easiest bottle to clean that I have. Takes like 1 min from wet to totally dry. However, it’s not insulated so that may be an issue for them.
I saw an insulated one when i just checked. Price £40.
Edit: Here
Oh nice, missed those.
Yeti’s are also one of the few that are dishwasher safe
That wide mouth is the real big money.
Agreed, but I never put water bottles in the dishwasher and always hand wash them. The soaps they use can leave behind a residue after drying, something I can smell and taste.
Iirc this might have more to do with your water quality being hard/soft or the ph or something, than the soap itself.
It’s quite possible, as I’m on conditioned well water.
a bottle brush is more appropiate.
It’s only used for water, so there’s nothing to scrub away. Hot soapy water is enough.
Bacterial and algal growth normally adheres to surfaces, and especially if not removed physically and frequently, builds up. Like the sides of a pond, basin, anything even with constantly running water, never mind mostly stagnant.
Invest in a bottle brush and clean your container well.
Tape some bubblewrap around a mason jar taps forhead
I make brewed teas and cold coffee and bring them to work in mason jars. Started a trend at work.
The kind that is cleaned properly.
The correct answer!
Put them in the dishwasher after every use. If it is not dishwasher safe, throw it away and get one that is.
They actually had a special on drinking bottles recently and I was thinking about buying one. Then they had a report on TV about such non-dishwasher-safe bottles, and that you simply don’t get them clean with washing them by hand. They had some nice pics of such bottles building up things in nooks and crevices. Gave up on that special offer, as they were not dishwasher safe.
Mold = dust/residues + dampness. Clean your bottles, and keep them dry when out of use - you can keep water filled bottles pretty long in the fridge.
My 4 year old bottles stay filled in the fridge; when a bottle travels with me, coming home i wash them with my bottle brush and a small amount of dish soap and either fill them right back up and put them in the fridge again, or i keep the cap off and let them dry thoroughly putting them upside down so droplets can get out. Anything else is just an invitation for mold.
At times I use boiling water plus dish soap after cleaning it with cold water.^(Obviously only with stainless steel and not plastic)
