# How often do you wash you water bottle? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2013, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642 "2013-09-12T07:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/1 "2013-09-12T07:15:07Z")
If you regularly carry a reusable water bottle, how often do you wash the thing? I bring mine with me about 3 times a week, and wash it about once a week. I rarely wash it by hand, but dismantle it (it’s a CamelBak with a straw and a spout thing) about once a week and throw it all in the dishwasher. I’m a bit of a germophobe about some things but I’m also a dishophobe so I don’t wash it daily like maybe I should (because I’m also a cookophobe who doesn’t run the dishwasher daily). I also put it in the fridge whenever I’m not using it to inhibit the growth of bacteria. To decrease grossness, should I buy another water bottle or two, or wash mine more frequently? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/2 "2013-09-12T08:18:49Z")
I’m not sure what exactly all your -ophobes mean, but the dishwasher is one of the cleaner places in your kitchen. I do mine every 1-2 weeks, when I carry one, although lately I haven’t been bringing one. I don’t see a big advantage of trading between two, but another is always good just in case. Would the fridge inhibit growth much? In my experience, the problem isn’t bacteria but mold (\* which I acknowledge isn’t necessarily not in the bacteria kingdom). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/3 "2013-09-12T08:38:13Z")
I’ve got several water bottles around the house and in the car. So as soon as I finish one I wash it and refill it from a gallon jug of distilled water (the tap water here tastes like bad medicine). ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/4 "2013-09-12T13:35:16Z")
I’m a cyclist and use a lot of water bottles. I own a couple of dozen. I almost always clean them after every use as I often have sports drinks, like Gatorade, in them. I use a cycle on the dishwasher that doesn’t use heat to dry the bottles and put them on the upper rack if the bottle is small enough. I put the caps in the utensil holder. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/5 "2013-09-12T14:14:50Z")
You wash yours? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/6 "2013-09-12T14:37:39Z")
After each day of use. By hand. ---
**Author:** ![jpsbcfc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@jpsbcfc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jpsbcfc)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/7 "2013-09-12T15:14:54Z")
its washed by constantly being refilled with water surely. i use one until it starts to smell or something then recycle it and get another one ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/8 "2013-09-12T15:20:28Z")
I wash my water bottle daily and by hand. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/9 "2013-09-12T15:32:41Z")
Whenever I get accidentally reminded of the black gunk that builds up inside the mouth piece (I have one of those Camelbaks with the rubber mouth piece over the plastic spout). So, every 3 months or so. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/10 "2013-09-12T15:48:28Z")
I wash me water bottle when it’s empty of rum, matey. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/11 "2013-09-12T17:16:12Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’m not sure what exactly all your -ophobes mean Dishophobe means I hate washing dishes by hand, and cookophobe means that because I’m not big on cooking, I don’t use enough dishes to run the dishwasher every day. > [@](#): > > Would the fridge inhibit growth much? In my experience, the problem isn’t bacteria but mold (\* which I acknowledge isn’t necessarily not in the bacteria kingdom). Well, food gets moldy a lot more slowly when it’s refrigerated, so I would think it would help. According to the reviews and the fact that they make special cleaning tablets for it, CamelBaks are quite susceptible to growing mold in the spouts, but I’ve never seen any mold and I’ve been using mine for years. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/12 "2013-09-13T05:55:51Z")
We have 5 on constant rotation. We don’t have a plumbed-in fridge here and I’m not keen on the water lukewarm. Each bottle gets broken down and washed by hand every day that it’s used, then filled from the tap and put back in the fridge. They’re all used by me and both my daughters, I’m not sure I’d bother with washing so often if it was just me. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/13 "2013-09-13T20:54:23Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > You wash yours? > [@jpsbcfc](#): > > its washed by constantly being refilled with water surely. > > i use one until it starts to smell or something then recycle it and get another one I’m with you guys. (Does a plastic military-style canteen count for these purposes?) I dump the thing out when I’m not using it (usually, I’ve drunk it quite dry!) and I let it dry out between uses. Dry = clean, right? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-you-water-bottle/668642/14 "2013-09-14T08:04:41Z")
Every day, I rub as much of the surfaces as I can while under running water before refilling it. If I detect any smell, I pour hot water over it. I actually brush it with soap a bit less than once a week.