Boring Bottle question

[YahudaMoon]

Top tip. After cleaning your sports bottles other than storing them in the cupboard where they can get smelly. Stick them in the freezer till you next need them. Fresh bottles every time !

 

[jay clock]

hot water and fairy, and once every while a Miltons tablet. Worth squirting through the spout a few times too.

FWIW I now have Camelbak Podium bottles which are a quantum leap forwards in terms of non leakiness

 

[Jim_Noir]

Bi carb soda when they stink!

 

[pshore]

I sterilize mine by swishing some just boiled water around them and then empty so the plastic doesn't melt. I use water only.

 

[NormanD]

You mean you people actually take them home after every ride? ... I've been throwing mine at the people at the side of the road when they're almost empty, well they do it on the TV no wonder it's been costing me a fortune

 

[buddha]

I've been growing penicillin in one of my bottles. So I won't get a chest infection. Every time I take a drink from it, I get a little shot of antibiotics. It's kept me in good health so far.
In the other I've been making my own organic energy drinks. My latest is extract of Spanish cucumber and German bean sprout

 

[Panter]

You mean you people actually take them home after every ride? ... I've been throwing mine at the people at the side of the road when they're almost empty, well they do it on the TV no wonder it's been costing me a fortune

 

[Melonfish]

quick rinse at night then allow to dry, every so often they get scalding hot water and a sterident tab.
same as my camelbak when i store it, cleaned with sterident. leaves no taste and eliminated smells and whatnot.

 

[lulubel]

Stick them back in the cupboard after most rides. Put them in the dishwasher (with the mouthpiece thing open) every 3/4 rides.

Not cycling related but relevant ....

I used to drink water all day out of a refilled plastic bottle. I got a throat infection late last year, and antibiotics cleared it up. It came back again, so the doctor gave me stronger antibiotics, which cleared it up again. At the end of that course of antibiotics, I found mould in my plastic water bottle, threw it away and now use sport bottles that go in the dishwasher every few days. I haven't had any problems with the throat infection since.

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

For those who use Milton.... try using the supermarkets own brand version - a tenth of the price.

Morrisons also do them in tablets at very small cost, and each tablet is purfect for a good sized waterbottle.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I rinse mine after a ride and dishwasher every now and then. The only other thing I'd add, if it hasn't been said already, is use a clear bottle - coloured plastic could be hiding all sorts of grot and lurgie!

 

[Nebulous]

I make sure that I give them a good rinse (inside and out) after every use and from time to time I sterilise them with diluted bleach (which I then thoroughly rinse out). I then invert them without the lids on to let them dry.

Another point which some people neglect ... I use SIS bottles (bidons) and have discovered that carbo drink residues can fester inside the 'stopper'. If you hold the black stopper firmly in your teeth, you can pull it out and clean it properly. The stoppers are quite easy to push back in if you align them properly. The first time I did this, I was pretty shocked at how much black gunge was hiding in there!

Good tip - thanks. I've always tried to rinse them as soon as I get home and thought that was enough.

I've just removed the black stopper and like you I can't believe how mucky it was.

 

[itchyrider]

Looking at this thread, got me looking around the home then i found my dettol surface cleanser (on the go) so i pumped a few sprays in & around my water bottle let it sit a couple of mins, then cleaned it out with hot soapy water then rinsed. Should be jobs a goodun??

 

[summerdays]

I stick mine in the dishwasher every time ... but I'm now worried about black stuff lurking where I can't see it ... but less worried than the chances of me breaking the bottle by removing the black thing .

 

[Basil.B]

Lot of responses for a boring question, thanks for all the advice!
The black stopper is the part of the bottle I was most concerned about.