Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Sports drink and water bottle cleaning ritual?

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Sports drink and water bottle cleaning ritual?

Old 09-23-21, 11:52 AM
  #26  
dennis336
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 523

Bikes: Trek Domane, Surly Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 170 Post(s)
Liked 103 Times in 68 Posts
For my long rides, I take two water bottles, usually one with a sports drink and one with water. I try to remember as soon as I get home to rinse out the sports drink bottle with water if I'm too lazy (I always am) to properly wash immediately. Then, I use soapy water (dishwashing liquid) and a bottle brush to clean around the insides. I also, pretty regularly now, take off the nozzle and wash it inside and out. It was my wife who, a long while back, noticed it was getting disgusting looking so that turned me on to cleaning it (I can be quite oblivious).
dennis336 is online now  
Old 09-23-21, 12:56 PM
  #27  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
Shrug. I just throw mine in the dishwasher. If it's looking particularly gross, I may add a splash of bleach and let that sit before putting it in.
caloso is offline  
Old 09-23-21, 01:03 PM
  #28  
Riveting
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
Posts: 1,221

Bikes: '13 Diamondback Hybrid Commuter, '17 Spec Roubaix Di2, '17 Spec Camber 29'er, '19 CDale Topstone Gravel

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 590 Post(s)
Liked 445 Times in 260 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
Bleu cheese mold is a very specific penicillium mold with very specific properties. If you're drinking through a bunch of slime, who the hell knows what molds and bacteria are in there? Keep in mind there's a bunch of random contaminants getting kicked up from the road or trail landing on that nozzle. Feel free to run your little experiment and consume "black stuff", what could go wrong?
I challenge anyone to take a Q-Tip to the crevices of the spout's underside on their bidon (and/or their travel coffee mug mechanics) and come out clean. We're all drinking the black stuff, just some more than others. And FWIW I no longer buy travel coffee mugs that have large hidden crevices that are impossible to get a scrubber on, ever since a 1"x.5"x2mm piece of coagulated slime/black-stuff came out through the mouthpiece, and had probably been collecting there for dozens of morning coffees. I don't mind seeing a little black-stuff, but I definitely don't want to feel it writhing around in my mouth. Sorry for any dry heaves that may have caused.
Riveting is offline  
Old 09-23-21, 01:25 PM
  #29  
kahn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: northWET washington
Posts: 1,197
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 383 Post(s)
Liked 690 Times in 396 Posts
Originally Posted by Riveting
Dumb question, is the black stuff that grows in the spout actually bad for you? What is it technically (and don't just say mold), because I eat bleu cheese with mold in it and I'm still standing. How many others don't care a lot about a little crud in their bidon?
I was a diagnostic (not agnostic) bacteriologist (which are different than molds but nonetheless....) in a former life - just don't do it!

But, as mentioned, it is not only the mold but the splashes from puddles draining off the lawn with dog and cat and bird and worm feces.... you get the idea!
kahn is offline  
Likes For kahn:
Old 09-23-21, 01:47 PM
  #30  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Riveting
I challenge anyone to take a Q-Tip to the crevices of the spout's underside on their bidon (and/or their travel coffee mug mechanics) and come out clean. We're all drinking the black stuff, just some more than others. And FWIW I no longer buy travel coffee mugs that have large hidden crevices that are impossible to get a scrubber on, ever since a 1"x.5"x2mm piece of coagulated slime/black-stuff came out through the mouthpiece, and had probably been collecting there for dozens of morning coffees. I don't mind seeing a little black-stuff, but I definitely don't want to feel it writhing around in my mouth. Sorry for any dry heaves that may have caused.

I only put water in mine. I will occasionally notice a little slimy feel if I haven't cleaned it recently, but no, there's no black stuff. Dirt get on the outside of my bottle, and that is often dark, but it's not slime.

I'm not claiming my bottles are sterile, but no, they're not dirty inside like that.
livedarklions is offline  
Likes For livedarklions:
Old 09-23-21, 01:51 PM
  #31  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by kahn
I was a diagnostic (not agnostic) bacteriologist (which are different than molds but nonetheless....) in a former life - just don't do it!

But, as mentioned, it is not only the mold but the splashes from puddles draining off the lawn with dog and cat and bird and worm feces.... you get the idea!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't sports drink be a good medium for growing e. coli?
livedarklions is offline  
Likes For livedarklions:
Old 09-23-21, 02:01 PM
  #32  
Riveting
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
Posts: 1,221

Bikes: '13 Diamondback Hybrid Commuter, '17 Spec Roubaix Di2, '17 Spec Camber 29'er, '19 CDale Topstone Gravel

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 590 Post(s)
Liked 445 Times in 260 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
I only put water in mine. I will occasionally notice a little slimy feel if I haven't cleaned it recently, but no, there's no black stuff. Dirt get on the outside of my bottle, and that is often dark, but it's not slime.

I'm not claiming my bottles are sterile, but no, they're not dirty inside like that.
Yeah, straight water is probably not a great accelerator for growth. My bidons almost always have homebrew Gatorade in them: turbinado sugar, BCAA powder, pea protein powder, pink Himalayan sea salt, and flavoring. I like to feed my black-stuff premium fuel.
Riveting is offline  
Likes For Riveting:
Old 09-23-21, 02:20 PM
  #33  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Riveting
Yeah, straight water is probably not a great accelerator for growth. My bidons almost always have homebrew Gatorade in them: turbinado sugar, BCAA powder, pea protein powder, pink Himalayan sea salt, and flavoring. I like to feed my black-stuff premium fuel.

Good luck.
livedarklions is offline  
Likes For livedarklions:
Old 09-24-21, 08:21 AM
  #34  
Litespud
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Chapel Hill NC
Posts: 1,683

Bikes: 2000 Litespeed Vortex Chorus 10, 1995 DeBernardi Cromor S/S

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 645 Post(s)
Liked 797 Times in 446 Posts
Originally Posted by atnyc
I used to drink just plain water. But at some point, I started using sports drinks (Gatorade etc), which I like. However, those seems a perfect medium for bacteria growth!

I've been caught a few times when I came home late or tired, and forgot to clean the bottle. The next day? It was yucky!

Now, I do my best to rinse the bottle out as soon as I get home. But recently, I discovered "stuff" growing in the drinking spout! Upon closer examination, "stuff" are also found in area not easily reached, e.g. around the curvy narrow part of the bottle where the cage grabs the bottle... Needless to say, I didn't clean my bottle as thoroughly as I should have.

For those of you who use sports drinks, what do you do to clean your bottle?

And, if you're the absent minded kind like me, what's your best "rescue plan" to clean up bottles that got over-populated by sports drink fed bacteria?
I give them a rinse under the hot water tap before I use them, or immediately after the ride if I’ve had Gatorade in them. Put them in the dishwasher occasionally. I only use super-cheap LBS-branded bottles, so I’m fine with replacing them when they get too beat up. I also don’t care about any plasticky taste - water is water.
Litespud is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 09:39 AM
  #35  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,487 Times in 1,286 Posts
I use water bottles with screw top lids. They're a lot easier to clean.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 09:53 AM
  #36  
DBT
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 19
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 2 Posts
Like most here, I rinse the bottles post ride and use soapy water. I will occasionally use PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash), discovered during my homebrewing days.
DBT is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 10:14 AM
  #37  
kahn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: northWET washington
Posts: 1,197
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 383 Post(s)
Liked 690 Times in 396 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't sports drink be a good medium for growing e. coli?
A sports drink probably has sufficient "nutrients" to support most mold and bacteria (it might not support anaerobes). Not that I let my knowledge or former knowledge drive me totally crazy. But since covid, I've more than strictly followed the five (5) second rule. If it hits the floor I toss it - no washing, no rubbing on my t-shirt - out it goes! Yes, I know you don't get covid that way but ....

And I said "former knowledge" up there since it has been many decades and a few newer careers since those days.
kahn is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 12:34 PM
  #38  
friday1970
Senior Member
 
friday1970's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 658

Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 223 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times in 106 Posts
Like you, why waste good Gatorade. Into the bottles it goes.
Scalding hot water to the entire bottle after a ride.
friday1970 is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 12:40 PM
  #39  
Litespud
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Chapel Hill NC
Posts: 1,683

Bikes: 2000 Litespeed Vortex Chorus 10, 1995 DeBernardi Cromor S/S

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 645 Post(s)
Liked 797 Times in 446 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't sports drink be a good medium for growing e. coli?
Most likely - and other microorganisms including fungi, but 24/7 we're swimming in bacteria, molds and viruses, the vast majority of which are harmless
Litespud is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 01:00 PM
  #40  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Originally Posted by Litespud
Most likely - and other microorganisms including fungi, but 24/7 we're swimming in bacteria, molds and viruses, the vast majority of which are harmless

Except those that aren't. Drinking a large e. coli colony is not a great idea.

I don't know about you, but I try to keep my food and beverages free of GROSS contamination. If there's enough microorganism activity that you're actually seeing slime, I think that's way beyond the normal background level of exposure.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 05:58 PM
  #41  
Sy Reene
Advocatus Diaboli
 
Sy Reene's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,585

Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4696 Post(s)
Liked 1,512 Times in 987 Posts
Originally Posted by Litespud
Most likely - and other microorganisms including fungi, but 24/7 we're swimming in bacteria, molds and viruses, the vast majority of which are harmless
Well, maybe to humans, not necessarily otherwise harmless

Sy Reene is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 08:48 PM
  #42  
Chuck M 
Happy With My Bikes
 
Chuck M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2,172

Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 861 Post(s)
Liked 2,263 Times in 1,092 Posts
I miss the old water bottles they sold in the local bike shops and sporting goods stores in the day. Pull the spout open with your teeth and push it closed before replacing in the cage. Modern bottles make the spouts more complicated than they have to be and they are perfect breeding grounds for mold.

By the way, it was mentioned in another water bottle thread about all the crap that gets thrown up from the road onto downtube mounted water bottles so if you think about that, the mold may not seem so bad.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke

Chuck M is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 09:05 PM
  #43  
drlogik 
Senior Member
 
drlogik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,763

Bikes: '87-ish Pinarello Montello; '89 Nishiki Ariel; '85 Raleigh Wyoming, '16 Wabi Special, '16 Wabi Classic, '14 Kona Cinder Cone

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 698 Post(s)
Liked 405 Times in 251 Posts
Dishwasher, but go back to straight water. Your body absorbs it faster and it's better for you. You don't need all of that sugar and salt for rides under 100 miles. If you're doing long rides, cut the Gatorade 50% with water.
drlogik is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 10:03 PM
  #44  
GamblerGORD53
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,445

Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1217 Post(s)
Liked 311 Times in 238 Posts
LOL. I USE used Gatorade bottles for water bottles, only the no spout ones. They have a way better shape for bottle holders. Exactly ZERO times I ever used soap to clean them.
I just rinse and fill them with water and let it soak for a couple weeks to wear the taste down. If I don't do it soon enough, I'll throw it out.
Could be months before I downgrade the bottle to recycle.
Actually, I also use them around the house and TV/ computer chair.
On tour I still will NOT put anything but water in my thermos bottles. I mostly buy juice bottles then.

I never did like the LBS plastic bottles. No better than a garden hose, IMO. LOL

Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 09-24-21 at 11:12 PM.
GamblerGORD53 is offline  
Old 09-24-21, 10:51 PM
  #45  
Darth Lefty 
Disco Infiltrator
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,775

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3124 Post(s)
Liked 2,101 Times in 1,366 Posts
I took apart a Camelbak Podium water bottle spout and I don't think I need to do it again. The little flange that holds the spout in did not 100% survive (you can see the tear) but it holds more pressure than the valve so even though it's looser than it was to start with, it's not coming apart during drinking. Still, repeated disassembly wouldn't be any more good for it. Both sides of the valve are accessed by hot soap and water if you just put the lid in the dishwasher.


Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 09-25-21, 06:22 AM
  #46  
WhyFi
Senior Member
 
WhyFi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,505

Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo

Mentioned: 353 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20791 Post(s)
Liked 9,435 Times in 4,663 Posts
^^^^ I never take the twist lock bit out but, if you want to really clean the valve, you need to take out the white plastic bit that sandwiches the blue diaphragm. I pry the white bits apart with a thin blade to remove the blue diaphragm for the occasional deep cleaning.
WhyFi is offline  
Old 09-25-21, 11:45 AM
  #47  
SkinGriz
Live not by lies.
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 1,306

Bikes: BigBox bikes.

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 859 Post(s)
Liked 782 Times in 582 Posts
Fungus not so much bacteria.

Think yeast, fermentation.
SkinGriz is offline  
Old 09-27-21, 11:20 AM
  #48  
tonymarch
Newbie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 45
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times in 10 Posts
I have two Camelbak bottles, one dedicated for water, one for sports drink. I USUALLY rinse out the sports drink bottle with hot water as soon as I get home, Like everyone said, the water-only bottle stays pretty clean. I pull off the valve and take of the ring and clear cap from the lid of the sports drink bottle every few week and clean with hot, soapy water. If I see any black stuff anywhere, I fill the bottle with water and add a dash of bleach and let sit for a few hours. Rinse REALLY well to get all of the bleach out if the bottle.
tonymarch is offline  
Likes For tonymarch:
Old 09-27-21, 12:29 PM
  #49  
SlowJoeCrow
Full Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Central Oregon
Posts: 457

Bikes: Redline Conquest Pro, Kona Cinder Cone, Trek Fuel EX8(RIP) Pivot Mach 5 frankenbike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Liked 10 Times in 9 Posts
I have noticed that even with plain water my "clear" water bottles occasionally turn grey. At that point I soak the bottle in Oxi-Clean and hot water which causes all the stuff to detach, then soap and water with a bottle brush or the dishwasher. I also try to either soak or disassemble the lid/valve. The latest style of Camelbak Podium bottles are designed for easy disassembly.
SlowJoeCrow is offline  
Old 09-27-21, 09:25 PM
  #50  
bOsscO
bOsscO
 
bOsscO's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 746

Bikes: 2015 Norco Search S1, 93 Mongoose IBOC COMP

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 290 Post(s)
Liked 350 Times in 209 Posts
I make beer at home, so I've tried soaking bottles and lids in both sanitizer (StarSan) and professional brewers wash (PBW) to good effect. Both are foodsafe especially at the recommended concentrations.
bOsscO is offline  
Likes For bOsscO:

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.