How to Disinfect a Water Bottle

Metal and hard plastic water bottles like Nalgene and Sigg are great because you can use them over and over. The problem?: You use them over and over. It's a good idea to get in the habit of disinfecting your water bottle at least every three days. If you own a wide mouth water bottle, this process is as simple as throwing your water bottle in the dishwasher. If you're using a canteen style or narrow necked water bottle, follow these tips to ensure your water remains clean and bacteria free.

Things You'll Need

• Clorox, Water Bottle Cleaning Tablets or Denture Cleaning Tablets

Instructions

1. 

   CLEANING OPTION 1 - CLOROX AND WATER: Fill water bottle halfway with room temperature water and add a dash (about a teaspoon worth) of Clorox bleach (use the name brand Clorox as other bleaches can have different active ingredients that make them less safe for use on food containers). Then add more room temperature water to fill bottle to rim. Screw on the rim and leave it to sit for an hour (leave overnight if you are also trying to remove stains). Rinse the bottle thoroughly and set upside down in your dry rack. Lingering Clorox bleach is converted into salt and water as it dries, so allow the bottle to completely dry. Then give it one more rinse and it's ready to go.

2. 

   CLEANING OPTION 2 - DENTURE CLEANING TABLETS: Yes, denture cleaning tablets. Use a name brand like Efferdent for reliable fizzy action. Just drop in a tablet, wait until it dissolves (about 30 seconds), give your bottle a rigorous shake and rinse with cold water. Denture cleaning tablets or water cleaning tablets are a nice alternative to soapy water because they rinse much more quickly and leave less residue. You'll find a pack of 100 tablets for about $10.

3. 

   CLEANING OPTION 3 - WATER BOTTLE CLEANING TABLETS: If using denture tablets on your drinking utensil is just too much of a stretch for you, you can purchase dissolving water bottle cleansing tablets at your local outdoor store or on Amazon. Nalgene and Sigg both carry their own brand, and some generics are available. A set of 12 tablets will run $5-13 dollars.

Tips & Warnings

• While a disposable plastic water bottle can be re-used once or twice, it is not wise to use a plastic water bottle as you would a Sigg or Nalgene bottle that was designed for multiple uses. While it is a myth that reusing disposable water bottles will result in consuming toxic chemicals as the bottle breaks down (remember we're trying to stop using these disposable bottles for the very fact that they don't really break down!) the real health threat is the presence of bacteria that is more easily harbored in the bendable plastic found in disposable bottles.

Resources

• Sigg Cute Design Stainless Steel Water Bottles at Amazon
• Sigg Water Bottle Clean Tablets
• Nalgene Reservoir Cleaning Tablets on Amazon
• How to Clean A Moldy Water Bottle
• How to Make Simple Fat Blasting Snacks
• How to Get Exercise When It's Cold Outside