By now, most of us are drinking from reusable water bottles versus plastic bottled waters. Whether you rock a Stanley cup or prefer a more subtle stainless steel one, they're a great way to make sure you stay hydrated anywhere you go. However, you may not be washing enough to stave off sickness.
Dr. Jason Singh, MD, a physician in Ashburn, Virginia, shared exactly how often you should be washing your water bottle in an informative Instagram post. "How often are you washing those crusty water bottles?" he captioned the post.
"I know there's folks out there who will go weeks without washing your crusty-ass water bottle, or maybe just a quick rinse before you fill it up," he says in the video. "Here's what you want to know: every time you take a sip, you're not just drinking water–you're creating a microscopic exchange between your oral microbiome which is full of strep and gram-positive organisms–and you're exchanging it with the bottle's ecosystem."
"And it takes about 48 hours for bacteria to grow to create a biofilm that attaches to the surface of your water bottle–and that then starts to multiply into various organisms," says Dr. Singh.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, drinking from a water bottle that hasn't been washed thoroughly can lead to a number of health issues, including:
- Stomach issues, including nausea, stomach cramps or diarrhea
- Allergic reactions to mold, including sneezing, coughing, itching or a runny nose
- Respiratory problems, including trouble breathing, coughing or wheezing
- Infections, which are more rare but may occur if you have a weakened immune system
So how often should you be cleaning your water bottle?
"That's why it's recommended to wash your water bottle with soap every two days," says Dr. Singh. "Use soap, hot water, a bottle brush to mechanically disrupt the biofilm to really get up in your bedazzled Stanley and kill off that biofilm. And then allow it to completely dry."
a person holding a coffee cup in their hand
Photo by Natilyn Hicks Photography on Unsplash
At the end of the video, Dr. Singh asks viewers to share how often they wash their water bottles–and to be honest! And the responses were pretty shocking. "My husband and I realized we were making ourselves sick because we weren’t regularly washing our water bottles. Started washing them and feel much better," one viewer commented. Another wrote, I go a month and have never had a problem and am never ill. However, after reading this I guess I have been lucky and am sure I am grossing everyone out."
Other still had some work to do. "1x a week lol 😂 and shame on me, I’ve done that for years!!!" one wrote. And another replied, "Here I was on my high horse thinking that washing mine once a week was more than enough 😂😂😂."
However, many were washing theirs plenty. "I deep clean mine everyday," one wrote. And another added, "I wash ours every day. But I didn’t know leaving them to air dry is also recommended. We tend to refill with water as soon as they’re cleaned😅."
Bottom line: next time you use your water bottle, make sure to give it a good cleaning after 48 hours to stay healthy.
