Why you need to clean your water bottle regularly

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NEW YORK – You keep your trusty reusable water bottle filled with only clean, delicious water. Does it still need to be washed?

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Experts say reusable bottles get dirty no matter what liquid they're filled with, and it's important to clean them regularly.

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Water bottles collect germs from our mouths when we take a sip and from our hands when we touch the straw or cap. They're covered in tiny, hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that can become breeding grounds for mold, bacteria, and other germs if they're not cleaned.

“It seems like something trivial, but it's extremely important,” said nurse practitioner Michelle Knepper, who works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dirty water bottles can cause stomach pain and itchy throat and even worsen allergies and asthma.

Experts disagree on when and how you should wash them, but they all agree on one thing: Clean your water bottle gently and carefully, because something is better than nothing.

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“Is it really that important? No. But it's also not hard to just wash out your water bottle,” says Dr. Mike Wren, a family medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine.

Some tips on how to get rid of a squeaky clean water bottle

Experts say trash doesn't care what your water bottle is made of. Reusable metal, plastic, and glass bottles grow germs, but plastic bottles are more likely to get scratches or dents on the inside where microbial life can thrive.

The best cleaning procedure is simple: use a sponge or bottle brush to scrub it inside and out with warm, soapy water, rinse and let dry so it's ready for the next refill. A narrow tool or one shaped like a pipe cleaner can be useful to get into straws and tight crevices.

For a deeper wash, scientists recommend putting the bottle in the dishwasher if safe to do so, or dissolving a denture or retainer cleaning tablet in the bottle overnight. Cleaning with a warm water solution of vinegar or baking soda will also work.

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Many experts recommend a simple cleaning with soapy water every day and a deeper cleaning once a week. If daily cleaning seems a little unnecessary, Ren said to try to do it at least once every two weeks or so, while maintaining other good habits, such as rinsing the mouthpiece over the sink during each change.

But if you fill your reusable bottle with other drinks, like protein shakes or sports drinks, it's really important to clean it every day. Sugary drinks leave a residue that bacteria love to snack on.

Do you need to empty your water bottle every day?

Is it possible to leave water in a reusable bottle overnight? Experts disagree.

Some recommend emptying the trash every time you fill up, while others recommend emptying every few hours. Wren says you can probably leave some water in overnight, but you should throw out the old water at least every few days.

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“Guides are guidelines,” Ren said. “Everyone will do it a little differently.”

If there is visible mold on the bottle or the liquid inside has a strange smell, do not drink it. Avoid refilling single-use plastic water bottles, as chemicals can leach into the water and create more cracks and crevices where germs can accumulate.

Cleaning water bottles may look different, but it's important to maintain the habit, says Ivy Sun, a hospitality industry expert at Georgia Southern University who has studied water bottle contamination. She washes her and her children's bottles with soapy water every day.

“It's just a very small step that we take, but it can help our health in a lot of ways,” Sun said.

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