Remember in high school where almost every evening you would come home and throw your cute little Stanley, Hydro Flask, or Hydrojug in the dishwasher, and it would be all clean for you the following morning? Seems like an eternity ago because I bet now you maybe wash yours a few times a week, and even then, it does not feel just as clean as it used to be when your Mom washed it. Do not feel called out as I myself have done this before, along with many other girls on my college campus I have talked to about this exact situation. Here are my tips on why you should clean your water bottle and tricks on how to keep it clean daily on a college campus!Â
WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR WATER BOTTLES CLEAN
- Don’t be drinking mold and bacteria. Just, please don’t.Â
A survey conducted by Water Filter Guru demonstrates perfectly on why you should be cleaning your water bottles consistently. According to Jeff Wagner, a reporter for CBS news, “A survey found that more bacteria is linger on your reusable water bottles than can usually be found on a toilet seat…The study found that reusable water bottles had 5 times more bacteria on them than a computer mouse, 14 times more bacteria than a dog bowl, and 40,000 times more bacteria than found on a toilet seat. That same survey found 62% of people clean their water bottles at least once a day, 25% clean them a few times a week, and 13% clean them just a few times a month” (Wagner). The data speaks for itself! You are not the only one not ditching this icky habit, but now you actually know how much bacteria you may just as well be putting into your body! No wonder you are getting sick every time you go back to college.Â
HOW TO KEEP YOUR WATER BOTTLES CLEAN
- Clean them daily when you go to brush your teeth at night:Â
This trick NEVER fails! Every night before bed when I go to brush my teeth, I bring my water bottles and anything that needs to be washed, as it prevents me from lettng the dishes either sit in my room or have my water bottle fill with bacteria. I use it almost as an incentive on going to bed- I brushed my teeth and cleaned the dishes, now I get to go cuddle in my nice comfy bed!Â
- Use a wide bristle brush for the bottle and a small bristle brush for straws!Â
Using a brush has changed the water bottle cleaning game for me not having a dishwasher at school. Instead of just rinsing water bottles and straws out, I can get into really hard to reach spaces if I were to just use a wet paper towel. The small brushes for straws also work wonders as I do not need to worry about mold or bacteria growing in the middle of the straw that i cannot normally reach. Brushes are so useful and I highly recommend them! They can be found at most retail stores and online.Â
- Use a dishwashing soap and warm water.
This may seem like an obvious one, but believe or not many people will simply rinse out water bottles without adding soap to it. Any dishwashing soap (I prefer Dawn) will work and will kill more bacteria than you may realize! Using dishwashing soap and warm water will definitley kill germs and bacteria compared to only rinsing it. This is also a perfect way to clean your water bottles when you do not have access to a dishwasher!Â
- Recap- Keep your water bottle CLEAN!
Keeping your water bottles clean at college is so important as it can contribute to preventing you from getting sick often, and no one wants to drink out of a mold flask! Yuck! Washing your water bottles daily will ensure that your water bottles stays clean all the time and will reduce the amount of bacteria being spread. Washing bottles before bed with dishwashing soap, warm water, and bristle brushes is my go to routine to keeping my water bottles squeaky clean! Don’t be the one who only washes them once a month, if at all- you’ve read the statistics and data, don’t drink more bacteria than what is found on the toilet seat!Â
Credits/Further Reading:Â
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/reusable-water-bottle-cleaning
https://waterfilterguru.com/swabbing-water-bottles