transfer to your bottle and create a good environment for mold growth. Bacteria and molds from your hands can also get into your bottle.”
4. Clean the bottle regularly with hot water.
Dr. Fukuta stresses that, “not all of the germs are harmful, but you could get sick at some point if you keep getting exposed to many germs.”
Her advice? Develop regular cleaning as a habit to keep your water bottle safe. Wiping down the bottle’s mouthpiece with a paper towel after use is a good first step, since that can curb germ growth.
As for washing, ideally, that means cleaning after every use. Bottle washing can be done either by hand or in a dishwasher (using the hot water cycle). Washing should always include reusable straws, too.
5. Make sure you clean all the parts.
If washing the bottle by hand, wash your hands first; separate out all the water bottle parts and then wash with a cleaning solution and water, using a clean brush if possible. Air dry the water bottle, and make sure it stays dry between uses.
While Fukuta advises against the use of plastic bottles, “even metal bottles need to be cleaned because their antibacterial capacity is not sufficient at all,” she said.
And don’t re-use those single-use plastic water bottles, “because the shape of bottle is difficult to clean and the chemicals used in the plastic bottles, such as BPA, can leach out into beverages in subsequent uses,” Fukuta concludes.