Small amounts of water from a water bottle with mould in it are unlikely to make you terribly sick however a build-up can lead to allergy symptoms and sickness
Could you name the last time you properly washed out your water bottle?
Don’t worry, this is a judgement-free zone. If you are just filling up your water bottle day after day and not popping soap into the bottle and rinsing it around you could be putting yourself in danger.
One expert has confirmed the dangers of putting the task of washing your water bottle on the back burner. He has said that washing your bottle could prevent serious illnesses as reported by Huffington Post.
So you are probably now wondering how often you should be cleaning your water bottle. In a TikTok video, Dr Karan Rajan stitched a user giving a ‘tour’ of the mould on her water bottle.
In the video, the woman said she had been drinking out of a bottle with “hella hella mould.” The Doctor said that even if you don’t have mould in your water bottle you absolutely should be cleaning your water bottles regularly. He said that different types of bacteria, including fungi and mould can grow inside a water bottle. The shocking fact is that you can be one of the sources of the bacteria in your bottle.
This includes commensal strains like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus which are generally harmless but if they accumulate or you’re feeling poorly, they can become harmful. Small amounts of water from a water bottle with mould in it are unlikely to make you terribly sick however a build-up can lead to allergy symptoms and sickness.
Those who are sensitive to mould exposure or immunocompromised are more likely to get unwell. The answer to how often you should be washing your bottle is every single day, and if you really can’t make the time to do that then you should absolutely be washing it once a week.
Now that we know how dangerous a dirty water bottle can be, who better to tell us how to clean a water bottle effectively than Martha Stewart? On her website, she said these tips are best for getting a thorough clean:
- Fill the bottle with hot water and a tablespoon of baking soda
- Let the bottle soak for at least an hour or overnight, depending on the severity of the buildup
- After soaking, use a bottle brush or sponge to scrub the inside of the bottle, paying special attention to any hard-to-reach areas
- Use a toothbrush to scrub the mouthpiece or other small bottle parts
- Rinse the bottle thoroughly
- Allow the bottle to air dry completely before reassembling.
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