How to clean a water bottle

Do you always carry a water bottle with you? Especially during outdoor activities, a water bottle is incredibly convenient. It helps you stay well-hydrated while you're on the go. But do you clean your drinking bottle regularly? Whether you use it only for water or for other drinks as well, keeping your bottle clean is essential.

Why keeping your water bottle clean matters

A growing number of people nowadays use reusable water bottles. This way you refill your bottle over and over again. But if you don’t clean your bottle properly, bacteria and mold can start to build up, causing unpleasant odors. And over time even cause stomach and digestive issues, which you'd certainly want to avoid, especially when you're in the outdoor.

Below, we share practical tips on how to clean your water bottle and keep it fresh.

Keeping your water bottle clean

Let’s start with the basics of keeping your bottle clean. If you’ve just bought a new one, it’s important to start cleaning it properly from day one. Here’s how you can do that:

• Rinse your bottle thoroughly with hot water after each use. Don’t forget to clean the cap and/or straw too.
• Dry the bottle and its parts as well as you can using a clean tea towel. Then place the bottle upside down on the counter to air dry completely.
• If you put the bottle away in a cabinet, do so without the cap. This allows any remaining moisture to evaporate more easily.

How to properly clean your drinking bottle

To keep your bottle fresh, it’s important to give it a good clean regularly. Many reusable bottles can be safely washed in the dishwasher. Just make sure to check whether yours is dishwasher-safe first.

If you prefer to wash it by hand, there are a few handy drinking bottle cleaning tools you can use to make the job easier:

• Bottle brush
• Straw cleaner
• Detail brush for the cap

Cleaning the inside of your bottle

To clean the inside of your bottle by hand, fill it with hot water and add a small amount of dish soap. Put the cap on and shake the bottle. Then use a bottle brush to scrub the inside thoroughly. Rinse the bottle well, dry it with a tea towel, and place it upside down on the counter to finish drying.

Cleaning the cap and/or straw

The cap, and the straw, if your bottle has one, also needs a good clean. Soak them in hot, soapy water and use a dish brush or a detail brush to scrub all the hard-to-reach areas. For cleaning straws, special straw cleaners are available. These are long, thin brushes designed to slide through the straw and scrub it from the inside.

FAQ

How often should you clean a water bottle?

How often you clean your bottle depends on how frequently you use it. If you use it daily, rinse it out with hot water after each use, and give it a thorough clean once a week.