It’s time to clean up!
Dr. Jason Singh, a primary care physician based in Virginia, is very concerned that you’re not washing your water bottles often enough to prevent bacteria growth.
“I know there are people out there — I’m looking at you — who will go weeks without washing your bottle of crusts, or maybe just a quick rinse before you fill it up,” Singh said on TikTok last week.
“Every time you take a sip, you’re not just drinking water,” Singh continued. “You’re creating a microscopic exchange between your oral microbiome, which is full of strep [bacteria] AND [other] gram-positive organisms, and you’re exchanging that with the bottle ecosystem.”
Research reveals that most microorganisms form a biofilm on a surface like a water bottle within 48 hours. Bacteria create a protective layer and multiply, creating a complex community where they can communicate and cooperate to spread infection.
Biofilms can be beneficial, harmful or neutral, depending on the type of bacteria. Researchers blame 65% to 80% of human infections on biofilms, especially those that develop on medical devices such as catheters, pacemakers and heart valves.
A 2023 study suggested that reusable water bottles can harbor 40,000 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.
“This is why it is recommended to wash the water bottle with soap every two days,” said Singh. “Use soap, hot water [and] a bottle brush to mechanically disrupt biofilms. Really get up on your awesome Stanley and peel off that biofilm and then let it dry completely.
Other experts recommend washing the bottle every day if you drink from it every day, and definitely at least once a week.
Biologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham advise using hot water and dish soap to clean all interior and exterior surfaces where bacteria can hide and rinsing the bottle with clean water.
Kill any remaining bacteria or mold by sanitizing with a bleach solution or a commercial disinfectant designed for food contact surfaces and allow the bottle to dry completely before using it again.
And if you get water from a tap, it also needs to be washed often. Researchers from Tufts University encourage soaking faucet heads for five minutes in a pan of freshly boiled water.
“The soaking cleaning method was effective in removing E. coli to undetectable levels,” the scientists reported.
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Image Source : nypost.com