I either drink it all or I dump it and put fresh water in. What are the risks if I don’t wash it? It’s just me drinking out of it. I’m talking days and days like why ever wash it if it’s just me?
Edit: Clarified the amount of time without washing
In: 3181
Been using the same water bottle at work for about a year without washing it (only water) and I haven’t had as much as the sniffles in the past year.
I’ve found my water bottles at work can get a bit mildewy under the cap just from moisture in the threads over time.
I work for a water bottling company and we actually do lab tests for this sort of thing all the time.
Now the theory is that an open and used bottle of water will be introduced to bacteria from the air and from your mouth. This bacteria in small amounts is obviously not harmful (and new bottled water has small amounts of bacteria anyway), but if left to multiply and grow can be a problem. Just like with any food.
Does this really happen in reality? Mostly no. So mostly this process won’t be fast or severe enough to do any damage if you reuse your bottle for a few days or even weeks. However there is no guarantee. And depending on the environment and the water you use, the level of bacteria can become too high and make you sick. Say you replace bottled water with well water and leave it out in the sun in the summer, it won’t be safe to drink after a few days – it’ll probably turn Green.
I literally just go into it smells, then I immediately dump and wash it. Water is only from a typical office style water cooler.
Bacteria needs food. Water has no food (sugar, carbohydrates, protein, etc) in it. Its basically a desert for them. Sure, things CAN live in the desert, but unless they are accustomed to it, they will die.
This all goes out the window if you introduce sugar, juice, or enough backwash.
Be sure to let it dry out completely every so often. And remove the rubber o-ring in the cap and clean it. That’s where gunk starts.
To add an extra question, what if you avoid touching the lip of the bottle and let it flow into your mouth?
Obviously clean your bottle, but if you just cycle water through it again and again, how long would it take until it gets dangerous?
If you’re cycling through the water every day, then not a big deal. But you don’t want it to sit stagnant for any length of time.
I just got back from 2 weeks vacation and left my water bottle about half full on my desk. When I opened it made the “pssht” sound of releasing gas and smelled like death. It’s currently getting sterilized with bleach. And that was just filtered tap water in it, nothing else.
I was getting nauseous for a few months before realising it was due to my unwashed water bottle. Do what you will with that information.
If water and other liquids are allowed to stay in there, it allows mold and germs to grow, which can cause a soar throat or other sicknesses.
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