cleaning Platypus drinking tube

Factual Questions
1

I am very happy with the drinking tube on my Platypus bottle (a flexible water pouch from Cascade Designs, for those who haven’t seen one). I use it often each day at home, work, when driving and even in bed when the weather is very hot.

The problem is that my drinking tube now has a carpet of black growth inside it. I only use cold tap water from the refrigerator, so I don’t know how the stuff is growing. However, I want to clean it out. I’ve seen threads elsewhere on the subject of cleaning such tubes, but the messages seem to have aged off the list.

Can someone please post a procedure that will clean the inside of my drinking tube? The Cascade Designs web page, http://www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus/faqs.asp, contains some directions, but I don’t know if they are specific enough for cleaning black ick from the inside of my drinking tube

2

Here ya go: http://www.outbackgear.com/camcleanbrus.html

And here’s some unsolicited advice: Put nothing but plain water in your Platypus/Camelbak/Hydration system thingie. Ever.

3

That’s exactly what I needed. After a quick search on Google for “camelbak brush” I found lots of vendors, including my neighborhood REI store. Nobody has as good a price as the source you linked above, though. Thanks.

4

While you are dwon at the REI get one of these to go with the brush. If you let air into the bag after washing it will always stay fresh, even if you carried a load of Gatoraid in it.

5

I am really pretty upset that this thread isn’t about the maintance of platypus medical supplies. I was going to be amazed that the SDMB can answer any question.

6

I don’t know how safe this is, but I put nothing in my CamelBak except water. When I’m done using it, I store the bladder in the freezer. Keeps the ickies from growing.

7

This is why I never got a CamelBak - could never figure out how it could be cleaned to my standards.

Great thread.