As wonderful as reusable water bottles and containers are in terms of the amount of plastic they alleviate, they do present a few flaws. Single-use plastics aren’t something we should be supporting, or, worse, perpetuating through use, but if that is what works for you, I’m not here to make judgment. I do recommend switching to a reusable water bottle at some point if you’re like me and drink enough water to rival a fish, but I do understand the convenience of single-use plastic water bottles when you’re in a pinch.
Something I doubt a lot of reusable water bottle users are conscious of is the importance of regularly and thoroughly cleaning them. I’m not making reference to a simple rinse or using one of those water bottle cleaning tablets; rather, I’m talking about a deep and extensive clean of your water bottle, because, speaking from experience, those tablets don’t do shit in the context of removing mould from a reusable bottle, and mould will make you feel like a sack of shit.
I have a water bottle I’ve been using for a few years now, and I clean it to the best of my ability. I could be more diligent in my cleaning frequency of it, and after my experience a few days ago, rest assured, I will be.
I have a bottle with a straw in it, and over the past little while, I’ve noticed that the suction of the straw just isn’t what it should be. I took the straw out and cleaned it, and I cleaned the underside of the top of the bottle, where the seal is. I even tried going hard at the little air hole on the top of the bottle, but none of my efforts proved to be effective.
While trying once more the other day to figure out the issue with the suction, it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t attempted to clear out the spout of the bottle that the straw connects to. I shoved my straw-cleaning brush as aggressively as I could through the spout (the opening isn’t very big, so it fought back), and I was appalled by the amount of gunk that I pulled out. I certainly figured out the culprit behind the lack of suction, and because I feel disgusted at myself for overlooking this component of the bottle, I figured I would share my experience with all of you to save you from the same revolting fate.
Photo by quokkabottles on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 