I’ve read some reports that claim that refilling water bottles may be ‘bad for you.’ It seems to me that the article’s authors only mention testing bottles that were refilled with unfiltered tap or drinking fountain water, with no washing of the bottles between use. The article closes with a statement from the International Bottled Water Association mentioning that its packaging is intended for single use only. It also mentions that if reuse is intended, then the bottle should be washed between uses.
Now, when a friend first alerted me to this ‘problem’ he pointed to my bottle of water (which I refill with filtered water and wash regularly) and gave me a dire warning about how unhealthy it is to reuse the bottles. He then mentioned something about a study that claimed that certain chemicals in the plastic bottles eventually contaminate the water if the bottles are reused. This made my BS meter go off, and so far the only articles I’ve found that come close to saying anything like that are like the one I linked to above.
So, here’s the question: if I wash my water bottle and refill it with filtered water, am I running any higher health risk than if I drank filtered water out of a glass?
How long is the bottle going to sit around between filling and use? Unles you sterilize the bottle with the cap on, stuff is going to grow in there eventually.
My wife and I have been refilling those bottles with tap water, without washing them out, for years. We’re not dead yet.
Since your linked article said that the International Bottled Water Association instructs washing them if you’re going to reuse them, what you ask about should certainly be safe. I didn’t see anything to imply that the bottles themselves were a problem, only the beasties that might find their way inside them.
Of course, one might suspect that the International Bottled Water Association might not be an unbiased source here. They make their money by selling you bottled water, and if you reuse and refill the bottles, you’re not going to buy their product as often. Oops.
I can’t imagine why in the world you’d have a problem as long as you kept the things clean.
I think the problem with reusing water bottles is not the plastic itself, per se, but rather the fungi and mold that can start growing. When the bottle is used, not all the water is gone when the bottle is finished, some drops always remain behind, and it is in these that mold and fungus spores are carried as the bottle is refilled over and over. Washing removes the spores.
I’m glad it did. Ask your friend to think about what he said. If chemicals from the plastic can leach out into the water, then which is more likely to be contaminated: water that is sold in the bottles and likely sits around for several weeks or months before being consumed, or water that has just been poured into the bottle from a tap?
I say use your common sense. I tend to have a bottle on my desk which I refill during the week. After a week or so I’ll wash it with hot soapy water or, if I’m feeling lazy, buy a new bottle of water which I will then refill for another few days.
Ah good. I also reuse water bottles, and my father said “oh unclean unclean”. Well, it is useful to carry around with me on hot days, and even at home, it is likely to be cleaner thatn a glas of water to which the cat will ALSO lay claim.
Years ago I used an insulated jug with a small push-button spout set into the lower end. I drained it every day after work and let it dry but never worried about the spout.
Then when I was drinking directly out of the spout one time I noticed it was green inside there but the water tasted fine so I didn’t worry about it. Eventually the water started tasting funny so I cleaned the spout. But I never suffered any ill effects from drinking the water. Maybe I was lucky.
bacteria will eventially build up…you may or may not get sick. I’ve read changing it once per week is a good route to take. Then again, there are people I work with who have never washed their coffee mugs…I’m pretty sure the coffee pot is rarely washed as well.
The only worry seems to be stagnant water. If you drink the water the same day you bottle it, even if there were bacteria in there, it would not reach significant levels. The spout, however is a different issue. The spout should be well cleaned and prefereably disinfected.
I’ve been using the same Naglene bottles for years and years. Sometimes they go a month or two with water left in them. Toss 'em in the dishwasher and they’re good as new.
