How to clean your water bottle … kitchen helper
The humble water bottle is one of the most useful and well-used items in life. Cast your mind back to the time before social isolation and your water bottle likely accompanied you to work, the gym, in the car and countless other places. Even now, if you’re tucked away working or schooling from home, you probably have it beside you most of the time. But be honest, how often do you clean it? And by cleaning, we don’t mean a quick rinse before refilling?
Experts say that you should be washing your water bottle after every use. That’s because they come into contact with a lot of germs including E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Studies have found that the safest options for reusable water bottles are glass, stainless steel and metal. Plastic is the worst choice both from an environmental perspective and also because it is very hard to clean properly.
So how do you keep your water bottle clean and safe? Firstly most of the contamination comes from handling the bottle, so proper hand hygiene (that we all know how to do properly now) is vital. You can clean the bottle by running it through the dishwasher daily (if it is dishwasher safe) or by washing in hot water and dishwashing detergent. Fill the bottle with hot water, add a few drops of detergent, put the lid on the bottle and shake vigorously until bubbles form. Tip out the suds and use a bottle brush to reach the bottom of the bottle. Don’t forget to wash the outside of the bottle as well. Make sure to scrub the lid as well and be sure to rinse well before use. You can also give your bottle a thorough clean with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Leave the solution in the bottle overnight and rinse well the following day. This method is great for stainless steel bottles.
With hygiene more important than ever, now’s the perfect time to ensure that you get into the habit of thoroughly cleaning your water bottle.
