Sports drink and water bottle cleaning ritual?
#26
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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).
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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.
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#31
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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!
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?
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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.
I'm not claiming my bottles are sterile, but no, they're not dirty inside like that.
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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'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?
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I use water bottles with screw top lids. They're a lot easier to clean.
#36
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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.
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And I said "former knowledge" up there since it has been many decades and a few newer careers since those days.
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Like you, why waste good Gatorade. Into the bottles it goes.
Scalding hot water to the entire bottle after a ride.
Scalding hot water to the entire bottle after a ride.
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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.
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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.
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.
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#43
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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.
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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
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.
#45
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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.
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^^^^ 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.
#48
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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.
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#49
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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.
#50
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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.
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