roadsnakes

What does everyone use to get their water bottles tasting and smelling nice and fresh?

I`ve used hot water and baking soda in the past, but it doesn`t seem likes it`s doing the trick, and that I need to do it more often.

I`m sure getting new bottles would help , temporarily.

baldilocks

I would recommend white Vinegar. Big fan of the stuff.

berner

I wash out the bottles and then fill with clean water and a splash of bleach and let them sit at least an hour.

nomadmax 

I'm with him^. I use white vinegar.

Deal4Fuji

A tip I heard here from someone was to use denture cleaner tablets. They leave a nice minty fragrance after they're done too.

roadsnakes

Exactly how much and how is the white vinegar used to clean?

Is it just a tablespoon in hot water? Do you shake and rinse. or leave it stand overnight?

I`ve heard of a small amount of bleach , and baking soda, but not vinegar?

JasonD67

I've just run mine through the dishwasher. Been doing it for decades now, and they come out like new.

noimagination

I just wash them out with whatever dish washing liquid was on sale after each use (including squeezing soapy water through the valve), rinse, shake as much water out as I can and let air dry. Never had any problem, and I use bottles for years before replacing them.

If you ride frequently and bottles don't have time to fully dry between uses, I'd recommend getting a second set and use them in rotation.

pdlamb

Dishwasher, top rack. If they don't fit, wash in the sink with dishwashing detergent of your choice as quickly as possible after use, especially with anything other than water.

As @noimagination says, letting them fully dry will help keep the funk down.

If you've cultured black mold because you forgot to wash the energy drink bottle from a week ago, it's time for a new bottle.

guachi

Dishwasher, especially because mine gets really hot.

Or a touch of bleach and filled with water. A tooth brush dipped in the bleach is used to clean the top and outside rim.

fietsbob

I bought a bottle brush..

Garfield Cat

Bleach kills most bacteria. But can bleach kill mold in plastic material that is porous?

Some say bleach works on non porous services quite well, but not so well on porous surfaces. Its about mold spores that may still be in plastic surfaces.

Then comes white vinegar in combination with hydrogen peroxide. Those two will go into porous surfaces.

TimothyH

Dishwasher.

Always do the easy and cheap thing first.


-Tim-

NoWhammies

I'm interested in knowing this as well.

Currently all I do is rinse the bottles out as soon as I get home from each ride and let them air dry. I'm thinking I need to do more as I read through this thread.

Dirt Farmer

I just rinse mine out with hot water immediately after a ride.

I use denture cleaning tablets for my Camelbak reservoir, however.

Hiro11

The main thing is to dump bottles, rinse and let dry immediately after any ride.

Similarly, dump Camelbak reservoirs and rinse immediately after any ride. The key tip: store them in the freezer between use, keep them frozen every time you're not actually using them. This is easy and foolproof in keeping them fresh.

MinnMan

Ah, but how do you clean the tops to Camelbak Podium water bottles? They are the greatest bottles, except that the tops are nearly impossible to clean without major aggravation.

JasonD67

Toss them in the dishwasher...they always come out smelling clean and fresh.

pdlamb

For hand washing: Wash the exterior surfaces first. Add some hot, soapy water to the bottle, screw on the lid. Squirt the soap through the lid. Rinse everything off, and squirt hot rinse water through the lid (3X seems to get most of the soap out).

Or replace with Polar bottles.

wipekitty

Any tips on how to clean the tops of Camelbak Podium water bottles after they've gotten gross would be appreciated. Obviously cleaning right after a ride is best, but that's no fun. Is there an easy way to disassemble them?

No electric dishwasher here. I am the dishwasher.

Hiro11

Buy the new Podiums. You can easily disassemble the valve.

I'm surprised how many people are having problems keeping their bottles clean. Just rinse them and ensure that they dry on a rack or whatever. I never have to put my bottles in a dishwasher.

One key point: I only put water in my bottles, if you're putting something sugary in there YMMV.

August West

Dump any remaining water immediately after completing a ride, rinse with tap water, vigorously tap empty bottle against towel on counter to as thoroughly as possible remove any remaining water left in bottle and let air dry. Wash off by hand with dish soap bottle top and valve and let air dry. Never had an issue getting any growth in my bottles doing this. And I agree with the poster who recommended getting a second bottle(s) if the first doen't have time to dry completely between rides.

Sapperc

This is what I do as well. No problems at all.

Leinster

If you’ve been riding for a few years, entered a few organized events, supported the odd organization, been a regular at a bike shop, received some cycling-related gifts from fam & friends, picked up some souvenirs etc, who doesn’t have about a half-to-full-dozen water bottles knocking about the garage and/or kitchen at any given time anyway?

granted, not all camelbak podiums, but watertight enough to do the job.

linnefaulk

This! I get the cheap ones and use them weekly. They do a great job on cleaning my stainless steel teapot, too.