How Often Should You Wash Your Stainless Steel Water Bottle?
Hydro Cell water bottles are reusable, convenient, and environmentally friendly. However, they can still get dirty and endanger your health when not maintained properly. With that said, let's look into how often you should wash your stainless steel water bottle, along with the importance and some cleaning tips.
How Often Should You Wash Your Stainless Steel Water Bottle?
Ideally, you should wash your stainless steel water bottle at least once a day, especially when you use it to store different beverages every day. You can wash it more than once if you notice a funky smell or you notice a grime buildup.
It's essential that you get into the habit of cleaning your Hydro Cell stainless steel water bottle before it forms mildew due to the bottle being a moist container.
When to Clean a Stainless Steel Water Bottle?
It's ideal to clean Hydro Cell stainless steel water bottles once a day. However, these are the instances when you may need to do it a few times a day.
- When you notice a bad smell: A bad odor usually happens when there's stagnant water. Additionally, the smell of the food you eat can transfer to the bottle. Worse, the bacteria from your mouth can also linger in the bottle, causing a foul odor.
- When you see a slimy film: Do you feel like there's something sticky whenever you touch the tumbler or press your lips against the bottle's neck? That's a sign it's time to wash your bottle.
- When using the bottle outdoors: Do you carry a tumbler during a hike or gym workout? Even in a post-pandemic world, you should clean your bottle if you're using it outside. Don't keep it in your work or lunch bag overnight because the dirt or bacteria may transfer to your other items.
- When you're pouring a variety of beverages: Powdered juice, tea leaves, or coffee grounds can leave a residue. Even pretreated water can contain pathogens or disease-causing organisms. There may be times when you refill a tumbler outside your home, and you're unsure if the café or office dispenser is using pretreated or inadequately treated water.
How Dirty Are Stainless Steel Water Bottles?
An analysis from environmental testing firm EmLab P&K shows that water bottles carry approximately 300,000 colony-forming units of bacteria for every square centimeter. This equates to about 6 times the amount of bacteria found on pet bowls.
Bacteria form a biofilm or clusters of bacteria on the interior of reusable stainless steel water bottles over time. This is why it's vital to create a mechanical action to remove that film, and one way to do that is to wash your water bottles at least once a day. 
This biofilm may contain food residue, as well as germs that you pick up from using elevator buttons, shaking hands, or touching doorknobs. Basically, you can transfer the bacteria by uncapping the lid or drinking from the straw.
The Importance of Washing Stainless Steel Water Bottles
Drinking lots of water is good for the body, and using a Hydro Cell stainless steel water bottle makes it more convenient to consume water throughout the day. However, some people go for days or weeks without washing water bottles because the tumblers look virtually clean.
Unfortunately, bacteria are not visible to the human eye. The inside of a stainless steel water bottle can be a dark, moist environment where bacteria and mold may grow. These are among the reasons why you should wash your Hydro Cell bottle daily.
- Prevent sickness: Allowing other people to drink from your bottle or letting your tumbler remain unwashed for days may seem harmless at first. Yet bacteria and viruses can also linger on surfaces, especially moist ones. It's essential to wash stainless steel water bottles once a day to prevent cold and flu-like symptoms.
- Keep the bottle in good condition: You can use the Hydro Cell stainless steel water bottle for several years, particularly when you maintain it correctly. In effect, you can take advantage of its insulating and leakproof properties without a problem.
Tips on Keeping a Stainless Steel Water Bottle Clean
After making the wise decision to invest in an affordable and sustainable stainless steel water bottle, one of the things you should do is to keep it in good condition.
There are different ways of cleaning a stainless steel water bottle every day. The simplest is to wash your Hydro Cell bottle daily using soap and warm water. It's also crucial that you scrub the bottle's neck, cap, and straw.
After that, tip the bottle and allow enough time for water to evaporate and prevent moisture buildup. This is particularly crucial when storing the bottle, and you won't be using it anytime soon. You also have to disinfect your Hydro Cell water bottle to avoid contamination.
Related Questions
How Long Does Water Stay Fresh in a Stainless Steel Bottle?
Water in stainless steel bottles can stay fresh for a day. The insulating properties of Hydro Cell bottles enable you to enjoy cold drinks for 24 hours and 8 hours for hot beverages. Leaving stagnant water for more than a day may encourage grime and bacteria to form.
How Can I Remove Odor in Stainless Steel Drinking Bottles?
To remove odor from your stainless steel bottle, dilute 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 cup of water. Pour the mixture inside the bottle, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Baking soda deodorizes by turning acidic and basic odor molecules into a neutral state, eliminating the stench.
How Long Can I Reuse Stainless Steel Water Bottles?
A stainless steel water bottle can last an average of 10 to 12 years because of its non-corrosive and stain-resistant properties. However, its lifespan would still depend on the materials and the way you maintain the bottle, which is why it's vital that you wash your bottle every day.