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Cleaning Water Bottles

Old 06-18-19, 05:54 AM
  #26  
dmanthree
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Take some dishwasher gel (for an automatic dishwasher), put a few ounces in the bottle, and fill it 1/4 of the way with HOT water. Cap it and shake it for a few minutes. Rinse a few times and it's as clean as new.
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Old 06-18-19, 06:55 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by 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.
I've gotten mold or something similar in a Podium nozzle that sat around too long.

Set it in a bowl, and drip straight bleach into the nozzle. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Do the same thing with the nozzle down. Fill the bottle with water and a little dish detergent, shake and squirt to rinse out the bleach. I've used q-tips on caps too.

This bleach treatment did alter the color of a dark cap, making it translucent green instead.
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Old 06-18-19, 06:58 AM
  #28  
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Camelbak Podium bottles have a liner that doesn't have that nasty plastic taste. The older generic bottles would have bad tasting water after just a few hours.

I've filled a Podium with water and let it sit for two days. No plastic taste.

And the silicone valves are much better than the old pull-up valves.
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Old 06-18-19, 08:31 AM
  #29  
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I didn't use them as I ended up buying a new bottle in the end but did think about using baby bottle sterilising tablets on an old one I have where baking soda hadn't done much of a job.

Not meaning to make this into a sales pitch for Camelbak Podiums but I've only recently managed to change my bike set up to be able to carry 2 bottles and only have one of them, I though the thermal one didn't work and was a marketing ploy until using one directly after a non Camelbak on the same ride which made me realise they do actually work and I must admit the nozzle is way better to drink out of than the others which seem to leak down the side.

Think you can get an extra chill one so may look at getting one of those as well .... doesn't half beat drinking water that's still slightly chilled rather than something that's sat in direct sunlight for 3 hours and got warm.
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Old 06-18-19, 08:57 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by 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.
This
shows how to disassemble the whole nozzle assemble. I just let them sit in hot soapy water wth cap full of Clorox in 3 cups water for 1/2 hr. Then pour water in bottle and sit same time.
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Old 06-18-19, 09:08 AM
  #31  
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Usually I just use hot water and dishwashing liquid. Fill the bottle, shake it up well, squirt some soapy water through the nozzle, repeat with just water, then rinse well. Occasionally I'll disasmble the nozzle as described above and put the parts inside will I do the previously outlined steps. Once in a while I'll also add some bleach to the water.
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Old 06-18-19, 09:09 AM
  #32  
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Only on bikeforums can people make such a big deal out of a task as mundane as washing dishes.

nearly impossible to clean without major aggravation
I don't know why anyone would put up with such a product, let alone praise it.


-Tim-
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Old 06-18-19, 03:14 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Only on bikeforums can people make such a big deal out of a task as mundane as washing dishes.



I don't know why anyone would put up with such a product, let alone praise it.


-Tim-
It's not as easy as That!!!

I've washed my bottles!

But , after a while they taste and smell funky!
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Old 06-18-19, 04:02 PM
  #34  
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What are some of you people putting in these bottles? I manage to use mine until they split open from being squeezed too many times, or the caps no longer thread on properly, and they never smell bad. And all I do is rinse 'em after a ride and stick 'em in the dishwasher.
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Old 06-18-19, 04:10 PM
  #35  
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I've been wondering the same thing.
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Old 06-18-19, 04:14 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Only on bikeforums can people make such a big deal out of a task as mundane as washing dishes.
No worse than how to wash socks or underwear.
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Old 06-18-19, 04:25 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
What are some of you people putting in these bottles? I manage to use mine until they split open from being squeezed too many times, or the caps no longer thread on properly, and they never smell bad. And all I do is rinse 'em after a ride and stick 'em in the dishwasher.
Don't have a dishwasher!

After numerous uses, just washing and rinsing does not do the job!
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Old 06-20-19, 01:00 PM
  #38  
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Nothing lasts forever.
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Old 06-20-19, 01:48 PM
  #39  
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Keep your bottles from getting funky and they will be easier to clean. Don't take your nearly empty bottle of carb water (sports drink, lemonade, tea with honey, or whatever) and leave it on the bike, counter, in your sports bag or in a hot car for a day or two before attempting to clean it. Drain it and shake it out ASAP after a ride and rinse with clean water if possible.

I use the dishwasher top rack and make sure that the bottle is bone dry inside and out before storage. If I forgot and let a bottle get funky, a tablespoon of bleach in a 1/2 bottle of hot water, shaken several times over 10 minutes or so, and the water then expelled through the mouthpiece seems to kill anything and get any residue loosened up for the dishwasher to finish off. A bottle brush will work if you forget so long there is dark stuff forming on the sides, but really, why ever let a bottle get to this point?

I get new bottles from various cycling events (the Fargo Cyclothon gives away nice Camelback bottles every spring) so I have several around and would be willing to chuck one if it became questionable, even after a normal cleaning. Some of my bottles are several years old, badly scratched and the logos worn off, but they still smell, taste and work just fine.
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Old 06-20-19, 02:52 PM
  #40  
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My mom always washes my water bottles.
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Old 06-20-19, 03:03 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by 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?
Sorry, I was MIA.

I agree in emptying them as soon as possible. I also would occasionally wash them with dish soap. As for the white vinegar, I would just rinse it with maybe half cup or so straight vinegar. It should kill germs and won't hurt you if it gets in your water.
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Old 06-20-19, 10:54 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by JasonD67
I've just run mine through the dishwasher. Been doing it for decades now, and they come out like new.
Same here. Seemed like the right thing to do...
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Old 06-22-19, 08:05 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by 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.
Antibiotics, germicide hand cleaners,killing mold,cleaning water bottles, and bathing every day, is making us weak ! Let the bottle grow more mold, makes water taste better. Same goes for the coffee cups
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Old 06-22-19, 11:03 PM
  #44  
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Household bleach works best. As a former Army medic, I was responsible for making sure that water facilities were clean. Canteens, lister bags, and water buffalo trailers needed to be properly clean, and bleach does the job. A small bottle of bleach carried in your rucksack can also be used to treat water from streams and rivers and make it safe to drink, just add a couple or three drops to a canteen of water, let it sit for awhile, and it is ready to drink.
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Old 06-23-19, 12:27 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by 50PlusCycling
A small bottle of bleach carried in your rucksack can also be used to treat water from streams and rivers and make it safe to drink, just add a couple or three drops to a canteen of water, let it sit for awhile, and it is ready to drink.
Totally get the cleaning bottles with bleach but I don't know why but adding some to water to drink just doesn't compute in my mind ... absolutely 100% not questioning what you say but I don't know why but it just doesn't sit well with me.

Might go back to when I was a kid, it was in the local papers when some tramp (are they still called bum sin the US) tried topping himself by drinking a bottle of bleach (unless he thought it was an alcohol substitute) and I just imagined it eating your insides and a very slow and painful death .... although I believe he survived.

When you say 2/3 drops to a canteen of water ... what do you mean by a canteen the size of a drinking bottle for cycling or over here a canteen would be a huge earn holding 5/10 liters.

Any idea as well what the water purifying tablets contain ... maybe it's just bleach????
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Old 06-23-19, 04:59 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Witterings
Totally get the cleaning bottles with bleach but I don't know why but adding some to water to drink just doesn't compute in my mind ... absolutely 100% not questioning what you say but I don't know why but it just doesn't sit well with me.

Might go back to when I was a kid, it was in the local papers when some tramp (are they still called bum sin the US) tried topping himself by drinking a bottle of bleach (unless he thought it was an alcohol substitute) and I just imagined it eating your insides and a very slow and painful death .... although I believe he survived.

When you say 2/3 drops to a canteen of water ... what do you mean by a canteen the size of a drinking bottle for cycling or over here a canteen would be a huge earn holding 5/10 liters.

Any idea as well what the water purifying tablets contain ... maybe it's just bleach????
Water purification tablets contain iodine. For a gallon of water, 6 to 12 drops of bleach are necessary, the dirtier the water, the more you add. You must use regular bleach, not scented bleach, or color-safe bleach, which can be poisonous. Ordinary bleach is usually 6% to 8% chlorine. If you live in a city, your drinking water contains chlorine, more or less depending on the kind of water, here in Tokyo the smell of chlorine in the water is obvious, but it causes no harm.
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