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orbea65
10-21-2006, 03:01 PM
I clean my water bottles fairly often, after each ride. Sometimes a bottle may end up sitting a couple of days before being washed...
I was washing a couple today, and noticed some black crud stuck to the bottom of the bottle, as well as around/in the spout. I know I could scrape out the stuff in the bottle, but what about the spout? Is there any special strategy/method for getting bottles clean??
Thanks!
rePhil
10-21-2006, 03:10 PM
When mine get nasty I put a little bleach in them,shake 'em around, squirt a bit through the nozzle and rinse a few times with water.
AgilisMerlin
10-21-2006, 03:12 PM
i flip them upside down and set them in the top of my dishwasher.

I thought everyone did this.


If it is extra big bottle, it goes below. :rolleyes:




oops, post edited. Not everyone has a dishwasher. Maybe we can rename it bottle washer.


AMerliN
rePhil
10-21-2006, 03:28 PM
I am fortunate to have two in our household...the Mrs and me :)

When we did our small kitchen remodel my lovely wife suggested we go without.
Kevan
10-21-2006, 03:58 PM
Take bottle, empty the spit from the bottom and fill to the tippy-top with the hotest water that spills from your tap, quickly seal the lid trying to keep as much water in the container as possible. Let stand in the sink, have a beer, eat lunch, just give it an hour to soak. Empty through the nozzle shaking and spraying the water out hard. Install in dishwasher open for a proper scrubbing.

I do this and no off-taste develops.
Bud
10-21-2006, 04:03 PM
Be careful putting bottles in the dishwasher. When we got a new Kitchen Aid dishwasher, it warped the bottles so they didn't seal properly. (I lost my Serotta bottle that day :crap: ) The heat dry was too much for them. Now we just hand wash them.
MassBiker
10-21-2006, 04:14 PM
A little bleach in hot water for about an hour works for me, I then alternate hot and cold water to rinse it.......works perfect.
:beer:
Frankwurst
10-21-2006, 04:33 PM
I've never cleaned a water bottle, the spuge gives one it's own mark of distinction. :beer:
Too Tall
10-21-2006, 05:14 PM
Dishwasher +2

If on the road use denture cleaner tabs and same with the tops in a glass.
Kevan
10-21-2006, 05:17 PM
I've never cleaned a water bottle, the spuge gives one it's own mark of distinction. :beer:

that Gaterade was water???
Frankwurst
10-21-2006, 05:32 PM
that Gaterade was water???
Only water because my system is as pure as the driven snow.....And if you'll buy into that, there are other stories you might be interested in. :beer:
Kevan
10-21-2006, 05:48 PM
Only water because my system is as pure as the driven snow.....And if you'll buy into that, there are other stories you might be interested in. :beer:

will give me nightmares. Thanks, but no thanks.
05Fierte TI
10-21-2006, 05:55 PM
I put white vinegar in the bottles if they get too nasty. I wash the bottles by hand as I have not had the nerve to use the dish washer. I always thought the heat might be too much. Any body else use a dish washer and what happened to the bottles

So far we have one distorted bottle in this thread.
Ahneida Ride
10-21-2006, 06:09 PM
There is really only one solution to the Water Bottle problem.
Get a Stainless Steel version.

Available at Velo Orange (http://www.velo-orange.com/ststwabo.html) in 18 oz. and 27 oz.
I purchased 2 of each size. Nice quality for 14 frn. ;)

A little Brillo and some elbo grease gets rid of those nasty Logos.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-84224226242177_1919_1460297
Dekonick
10-21-2006, 07:15 PM
Mouthwash.

Listerine.....smells better than bleach!

works for cammelback bladder's too!

TT's suggestion of denture cleaning tablets is also a viable option.

IF using bleach, you only need a 1% solution and 10 minutes or so - CDC suggests a 10% solution for 10 minutes for obvious contamination with known blood borne nasties...(this assumes you have removed any clumps/lumps/etc... before you try to sanitize your bottles)

A dishwasher will work as well, but put the bottles on the top rack or they may warp.
Bradford
10-21-2006, 08:09 PM
Dishwasher. If it melts, buy a new one.
Karin Kirk
10-21-2006, 09:18 PM
Dishwasher. If it melts, buy a new one.
a whole new dishwasher?
seems kinda extreme
toaster
10-21-2006, 09:21 PM
Dishwasher works alright. My wife hates my bottles, though. It's my job to open the tops and dump out the Gatorade.

There's a spray disinfectant product by Clorox that is well suited as a water bottle cleaning solution, it works really well. Just swirl it around and let it sit awhile.

My favorite bottles are plastic 20 oz. with the flip-top lid. Damn things don't stand upright with the top open and are always falling out of the cabinet. I don't like the screw on wide mouth type because I lose the lids and sometimes they leak when you squirt 'em.

Mainly, unless they're clean and filled with cold Gatorade they are a P.I.T.A.
Bradford
10-21-2006, 09:45 PM
a whole new dishwasher?
seems kinda extreme

A dishwasher that melts bottles is no good. Toss it, buy a new one. :D
AgilisMerlin
10-21-2006, 09:45 PM
Be careful putting bottles in the dishwasher. When we got a new Kitchen Aid dishwasher, it warped the bottles so they didn't seal properly. (I lost my Serotta bottle that day :crap: ) The heat dry was too much for them. Now we just hand wash them.


DAYUM BRO.............GO ADJUST YOUR WATER HEATER, OR CHOOSE NON HEATED dry CYCLE........................SACRIFICE SOME BOTTLES TO FIGURE YOUR SETTINGS OUT.......................

haven't hand washed a bottle for years. Mold is not my friend. I am a clear bottle moman :beer:

i always cut the tops off and wash them in the silverware holders............How domestic................AND I ONLY use Specialized Bottles............i am one warped beered up freak tonight :banana:



aMERLIn
Birddog
10-22-2006, 06:56 AM
If you use Polars, they have an area on the top that is recessed and hard to get clean. A "Q" Tip works nicely there, sometimes dipped in bleach.

Birddog
Bud
10-22-2006, 09:21 AM
DAYUM BRO.............GO ADJUST YOUR WATER HEATER, OR CHOOSE NON HEATED dry CYCLE........................SACRIFICE SOME BOTTLES TO FIGURE YOUR SETTINGS OUT.......................


aMERLIn


Dude- I have figured out my settings (read: I can solve problems :) ). It's the heat dry, not the water temp and we are fans of the heat dry for our other dishes. As it seems wasteful to run a cycle just for the bottles, I just hand wash them instead.
93legendti
10-22-2006, 09:35 AM
Dishwasher works for me, I just put them in when I run a normal load. I only use water in my bottles, so cleaning is pretty easy.
AgilisMerlin
10-22-2006, 09:37 AM
i am in a state of nirvana with my bottle cleaning dishwashing dilemna.

sorry to be so harsh. :crap:

I feel for your melted bottles

Must be my elevated testo level.

gotta scoot for a ride. It is going to rain.



AmerliN
csm
10-22-2006, 10:27 AM
rinse them out after every use. when they get too funky, buy new ones.
they are cheap enough.
Karin Kirk
10-22-2006, 11:30 AM
I was actually thinking of starting a thread with this same question during the summer after I got sick after a club ride and I wondered if my water bottles were too funky.

Since then, the routine I use is similar to what others have said. I put some bleach in, then some hot water, shake it up, and squirt some out through the nozzle to make sure the bleach solution gets up in there. Then I let it sit for awhile, then rinse, then dry it upside down on a drying rack so it gets all the way dry.

Sometimes if I don't feel like using the bleach and letting it sit, I use regular dish soap and shake it all up.

Agreed, that fresh bottles every now and then is a great idea. Nothing more pleasing than clean new bottles to brighten your day. Simple pleasures!