Can the mold from a water bottle harm you?

[water_drinker]

I always use bleach in mine, and then I squirt it through the lid to clean the mouth piece and everything to.

Beach evaporates so once you let it sit a bit after rinsing it the bleach smell and all will disapate.

Only the water in the bleach evaporates - the sodium hypochlorite remains as a residue salt (try evaporating a small puddle of bleach - you'll see a white residue left behind)...it's this residue that can be harmful when ingested. It's always best to rinse thoroughly after treating with bleach.

[water_drinker]

oxygen bleach may eventually leach out the plasticizer leaving your PE bottle brittle allowing it to break easily. If you use any bleach at all, rinse it with copious amounts of water immediately afterwards.

[Crankin]

Still living.
I bought bottles that can go in the dishwasher...

[ny biker]

Mine go in the dishwasher, too. But that doesn't get rid of the mold. I've found using q-tips on the camelback polars will remove the first layer, making the caps easier to clean.

I keep a toothbrush in the kitchen for cleaning things like water bottle caps. If I'm really having trouble getting them clean I will use zinc dandruff shampoo instead of dish soap, then will rinse the hell out if them. (Somewhere there is a thread about laundry, with a mention of dandruff shampoo having antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal qualities.)

[rebeccaC]

Mine go in the dishwasher, too. But that doesn't get rid of the mold. I've found using q-tips on the camelback polars will remove the first layer, making the caps easier to clean.

A friend mentioned Efferdent anti-bacterial denture cleaner tablets working very easily. Fill with hot water and add a tablet, let sit, shake, slowly empty through nozzle and rinse. I usually use the clean bottle especially if I'm using energy drinks in the bottle....just toss in the dishwasher after my ride.

[marni]

you can also add a drop or two of bleach and fill the water bottle. let it stand a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly. I usually alternate the efferdent and the bleach on a weekly basis or after three rides which ever comes firt.

[OakLeaf]

I use the denture cleaner tablets on my bite valves and bottle caps too, but they don't take off the biofilm. If it were dentures, you'd still have to brush them, and you still have to brush your hydration gear. Camelbak sells long flexible brushes in diameters to clean both flexible and straight drink tubes, and that's probably the cleaning appliance that gets used more than any other in my household. Then any bottle brush with a hemispherical arrangement of the bristles.

Today I filled my stainless bottle with a 10% bleach solution and let it soak for half an hour or so ... probably overkill, but I've seen what grows in there one too many times.

[smilingcat]

If the mold and other nasty stuff turns into a biofilm, the only thing that seems to get rid of it is with scrubbing.

I use concentrated hydrogen peroxide. It's bit dangerous. I've accidently splashed few drops on my finger once and it instantly turned my skin white (chemical burn), rinsed it off immediately but after few minutes, I felt a burning sensation (more chemical burn under my skin). But it does kill every germ and mold it comes in contact. And you know when it is working because it will be fizzing as the peroxide breaksdown into water and atomic oxygen (free radical of sorts). The good thing is that it will easily rinse out and doesn't leave any residue behind. And you don't get the chlorine smell. And if you drink a weak concentration of peroxide, only thing it will make you do is to throw up. So no real accidental poisoning there.

yes my nephew learned his lesson the very hard way with yucky stuff in his water bottle. He has learned to disinfect his bottles. Decided that praying to the big ceramic bowl in the bathroom is not a good thing. I think he was hugging it for about a week.

[rebeccaC]

If the mold and other nasty stuff turns into a biofilm, the only thing that seems to get rid of it is with scrubbing.

I thought a subtilisin enzyme in an alkaline peroxide effervescent tablet like efferent made for an effective way of dealing with biofilm.

[OakLeaf]

Probably depends on how thick the film is ...

[Crankin]

I have that Camelbak brush, but I got sick of trying to use it to remove the crap from my Camelbacks. I rarely use them. I have used the brush forwater bottle tops, before they go into the dishwasher.
I use denture tabs for my Invisalign retainer. Even with brushing after soaking, there is always a gross film of stuff on them. It's not mold, so I have given up.

[OakLeaf]

I have that Camelbak brush, but I got sick of trying to use it to remove the crap from my Camelbacks. I rarely use them.

The one I use all the time is the long flexible brush, not the toilet-bowl-brush shaped one. The long one is the only way to get inside drink tubes, and if you'd seen what comes off on the end of mine ... Some people use a vinegar and baking soda mix in the bladder to force water at high pressure through the drink tube, but I doubt that's enough.

For me, the easiest way to clean a flexible bladder is with a damp rag sprinkled with a generous dose of baking soda. The ratio of baking soda to water has to be high enough that a good amount of soda stays undissolved to act as a mild abrasive, but low enough that the soda will coat the rag and the inside of the bladder. Close the bladder, shake vigorously until you can see "scratch marks" showing that the rag has scrubbed everywhere inside the bladder, remove rag and rinse.

[lauraelmore1033]

This is partly why I like the bottles with the black tops. So far, what I can't see hasn't hurt me. That's what my nice strong immune system is for...

[OakLeaf]

That approach worked fine for me up until the day I got a big wad of slime with my gulp of water. Ever since then I figure it's better to find it with my vision than with one of my other senses.

[salsabike]

That approach worked fine for me up until the day I got a big wad of slime with my gulp of water. Ever since then I figure it's better to find it with my vision than with one of my other senses.

Oak, you made me laugh. Eeewwww.