Ever been faced with a dirty water bottle? It happened to guest poster Don Blount recently.
I have heard or read about neglected bottles turning into science experiments. Fortunately, I had not experienced this until I recently pulled out a bottle that had somehow been put away without being cleaned – blech!
My initial reaction was to pitch it. I didn’t see how this bottle would be useable again.
Instead I poured in some bleach, shook the bottle and let it sit overnight.
And when I looked in it the next day, I discovered that the bleach had done its job.
The dishwasher will be the bottle’s next stop but I am still undecided if I will keep it, knowing what was once inside.
What do you think?
So you had some mold in your bottle and then killed it all off with bleach. It appears totally clean in the photo. A run thru the dishwasher is probably unnecessary, but should dispel any lingering doubts about the bottle’s suitability for future use. I’d have no compunctions about deploying the containment vessel in my quiver for active use in future excursions!
I’m cheap, keep it. The bleach killed everything. Good idea by the way.
That looked nasty! Post-bleach, rinse it out with tap water and you’re good to go.
I read this on some biking forums about the proper care of cleaning of water bottles (some folks even recommend doing this at least once a month on all their water bottles):
“Throw in a table spoon of bleach and a table spoon of baking soda and fill the rest of the water bottle with tap water – leave the concoction set overnight. The next morning use soap and water and wash/rinse your bottle. Good to go”
-RamonH
Another way to clean icky bottles: denture cleaner. It works well and is far gentler on the materials.
My wife did the bleach and baking soda thing just today. She says, “Thank you, Bike Noob!”
Awesome – you rock, Bike Noob! 😀
Including half tablet of vitamin C in water may inhibit crud growth. We use flavorings and dont bike but noticed debris. Fillers in the tablets may leave some bits? Have never heard of harms in either case. 🤓🤔🙈