any magic tricks for cleaning bottles?

[AngryScientist]

OK, so i'm lazy. many times when i finish a ride i leave my bottles on the bike for a few days with remnants of gatorade, or other sports drink in them. so many of my bottles now have mold looking stains in them that i dont want to use them, and no amount of rinsing with dish soap and water is seeming to help.

before i chuck the whole lot of them and buy a bunch of new bottles, any tips for getting the funk out of them?

[Richard]

In a word -- Bleach!

[crownjewelwl]

just get some purist bottles

[FlashUNC]

The solution is new bottles. And clean the ones you've got on the regular.

[kramnnim]

I use the Camelback bottles and the valve/lids get really gross inside. Kind of a pain to take apart. Maybe I should soak them in a bleach solution?

[AngryScientist]

bleach really? doesnt the bottle retain that taste afterwards?

leaning towards throwing the lot in the recycling bin and starting anew.

[Fatty]

You need a good bottle brush. And I use a scrubby powder like Bar-Keepers friend. Cleans em up like new.

[zoid]

as an ex-powerlifter. my bottles used to get pretty gnarly with sugars and milk. sometimes the milk would go rotten inside after it would fall behind tables and stuff.

i just used to soak all my bottles in a vinegar and they would bring them all back to life.

i'm not into bleach and other cleaning agents for something i use regularly.

[Richard]

Not really. Put them in the sun after you wash out the bleach and in a couple of hours they are aroma free.

[rnhood]

I quickly rinse my bottles, then fill the bottle to half way with water and microwave for 1 minute. Shake and squirt out. Bottle stays clean and fresh.

[soulspinner]

just get some purist bottles

These are great and they fit perfectly in my cages...........

[witcombusa]

Bleach and water, just like you clean your pint beer glasses in...

[chrisroph]

Cap full of bleach and water. Let soak for a few minutes and then a liberal rinse and you are good to go.

[CNY rider]

Am I the only guy left drinking water from his water bottles?

[R2D2]

For cleaning go by a home brew store and get Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW).
Then get some StarSan or SaniClean to sanitize and remove any mold or off tastes. I am a big believer in sanitizing bottles.

Works great and very concentrated and economical.

Developed for Coors.

[dancinkozmo]

cheap and easy

http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2011/1/3/cleaning-water-bottles-made-easy.html

[AngryScientist]

cheap and easy

http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2011/1/3/cleaning-water-bottles-made-easy.html

brilliant. going to try that on a few tonight, or at the very least, use this method moving forward with new bottles. this is a simple one. gracias.

[IFRider]

I and the regular cleaning routine is simple.

Wash with bottle brush and hot soapy water
Remove Camelbak nipple if needed and wash
rinse thouroughly with hot water
fill with a couple of inches of hot water and add a couple squirts of RealLemon juice (bought in bulk)
Shake vigoriously with lid on. The lemon juice cuts any remaining soap.
rinse with hot water
let air dry upside down


I do the same process with my camelbak for mtn biking.

Warren

[rwsaunders]

Am I the only guy left drinking water from his water bottles?

Nope. I dropped the sports drink habit a few years ago and save it for hot conditions on rides over 40 miles. Even then, it's usually a 50/50 mix. I carry a pack of sport beans as a fallback but haven't had to use any for a while.

Conversely, I had a riding bud bonk a few years back on a century as he would only drink water. It was extremely hot that particular day and we kept warning him at the rest stops. By the lunch break, he was seeing harem girls at the oasis just ahead and he ended up taking the sag wagon to the finish. Now he's a Gatorade addict.

Btw...I agree with the Pursit bottle comments as they live up to the "no plastic taste" hype IMHO.

[Anarchist]

Am I the only guy left drinking water from his water bottles?

no.

[AngryScientist]

i do:

< 3 hours = water only

> 3 hours = one bottle water, 1 electrolyte mix *

* +whatever i pick up on the road at gas stations, convenience stores, etc - usually gatorade, powerade, vitamin water, etc.

[jds108]

I'm sure there is some reason to not put the bottles in the dishwasher (melting?) but I put them in there and don't have any problems...

[Ahneida Ride]

I use Stainless Steel bottles.

Easy to clean ...

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I bleach my bottles about once a month, and otherwise just wash them in the dishwasher (top rack). When I bleach them, I follow it up with a wash with regular soap, just to make sure the bleach is all out. My Purist bottles mold, too, just not as quickly.

[jwad]

For cleaning go by a home brew store and get Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW).
Then get some StarSan or SaniClean to sanitize and remove any mold or off tastes. I am a big believer in sanitizing bottles.

Works great and very concentrated and economical.

Developed for Coors.

This: a good soak in PBW, rinse with hot water takes care of pretty much everything. I sanitize if they were really funky to start with. Almost never need a bottle brush.

I mix my own cleaner rather than buying PBW to save money.
3 lb tub of Oxyclean Free
1 lb bag Red Devil #0261 Tsp/90

[mktng]

Camelback bottles. I clean and rinse after every ride. Regardless of what was in it. I remove the the mouth piece and rinse in warm water. Haven't had any issues so far. Bottles have lasted me two seasons. No weird gunk build up or smells.

[wallymann]

bleach really? doesnt the bottle retain that taste afterwards?

leaning towards throwing the lot in the recycling bin and starting anew.

yes, bleach. just dont use too much.

a dash of bleach and dish soap and a bottle brush...scrub vigorously, rinse thoroughly...it tastes brand new.

[Lewis Moon]

Am I the only guy left drinking water from his water bottles?

Here too. The only time I'll have some sort of sport goo in my bottles is during a longish race. I even have those bottles marked with "goo" in Sharpie. Those go into the DW right after.

[Walter]

Rinse them and use a bottle brush right after use. Dishwasher every couple of months. Replace every couple of years.

[chiasticon]

interesting topic. will give some of these methods a try soon. i have a good number of bottles that smell and taste like nuun or other electrolyte mix and i'm quite sick of it.

fwiw, i feel like the purist and camelbak bottles aren't much of an improvement over the regular ones. both of these options are supposed to not retain the taste of anything you put in them. but they do. and i clean regularly with dishwashing detergent (occasionally just throw in the dishwasher) and rarely leave fluids sitting in them post-ride. they may not get cleaned out immediately, but i at least dump their contents out.

[CaliFly]

A buddy's friend joined our group ride for the first time. After about an hour and a few sips of water from his bottle, this friend chatted up that he though he was coming down with something because he "felt a little tingling" in his throat every time he drank. My buddy offered him a drink from his bottle...no tingle.

Wash those bottles boys! :banana: