Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • X
  • Facebook
Image of 4 plastic and metal water bottles

Are You Drinking Germs and Mold?

in Health & Diet /by Carolyn Willbanks

HYANNIS – Making the switch to a reusable water bottle might make you feel great in an environmentally conscious kind of way but, if you’re not careful, it can also make you sick.

Here are some facts that will likely scare you straight into cleaning your container.

Studies have shown that water bottles that go uncleaned for one week contain 300,000 bacteria cells per square centimeter. That’s more bacteria than in a dog’s water bowl, according to a recent article in USA Today. Anyone like the idea of drinking from that?

Because of this build-up of bacteria, it’s important to remember a fact that some people tend to forget; reusable bottles must be thoroughly cleaned after every usage. Just as you wouldn’t keep using your coffee cup or silverware without cleaning them, you shouldn’t just keep refilling that water bottle.

“People don’t always think that way about reusable water bottles, and they may refill them over and over without cleaning them,” said Kathleen Kohut, director of infection prevention at Cape Cod Healthcare. “But that can lead to a lot of contamination. Even if it’s sterile water, it becomes contaminated when your mouth organisms mix with the water.

“Maybe you’re exercising, sweating, touching all sorts of things at the gym. Those germs can remain on the bottle for a day, a week, a month. You really need to clean it after every use,” she said.

Bacteria, fungi and even mold can thrive in a water bottle, thanks mainly to its moist environment. Simply rinsing the bottle out with water isn’t sufficient, and care must be taken when cleaning bottles that have attached straws and narrow-mouth lids with lots of nooks and crannies.

Tips for Cleaning

Cleaning can be quick and easy. Here are some methods to try:

  • Wash with soap and water. Use a bottle brush to reach all those nooks and crannies and a pipe cleaner for the attached straw.
  • Use vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dental cleaning tablets or even an antibacterial mouthwash. If using denture tablets, drop a tablet into a bottle filled with water, let it stand for 30 minutes and rinse out.
  • Fill your bottle with water and add one or two tablespoons of white vinegar. Let it sit overnight. Make sure you close the bottle and shake it before leaving it to soak for the night. If you’re worried about the smell of vinegar, use baking soda and water.
  • Add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to kill mold. This method is also ideal if your bottle is slimy or has an odor. Just clean the bottle with soap and water and rinse with hot water. Pour about one-quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide into the bottle, close the lid tightly and vigorously shake the bottle. Pour out the hydrogen peroxide and rinse the bottle a final time. The bottle will be like new.
  • Finally, it’s best to air dry the water bottle so that no tiny droplets of water remain in the bottom, where bacteria could grow.

Clean those reusable water bottles regularly and you’ll be protecting your health, while helping to do the same for the environment.

Published by CapeCod.com

Tags: mold, mold in water bottle, cleaning moldy water bottle
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on X
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/water-bottle-mold.jpg 468 746 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2019-05-02 01:41:012019-05-02 01:48:25Are You Drinking Germs and Mold?
You might also like
Mold-Help logo Following a Natural Disaster, Before You Enter Any Moldy Site
Mold-Help logo Florida Police Station Undergoing Mold Tests
Microscopic view of Bipolaris mold©Photo Courtesy of drfungus.org Bipolaris
Mold-Help logo Mold, Rats and Crowding Plague School
Mold-Help logo Mold: Clarifying the Hype and Hysteria
Mold-Help logo Condo Owner or HOA: Who Abates Toxic Mold?

Resources & Tools

  • Private Research
  • Coping with Loss
  • Spiritual Definition
  • Legal Suggestions
  • Home Care
  • Tips for Parents
  • Health & Diet

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only