How to Clean Your Bottles and Bladders

Be it a brand new bottle leaving that tainted flavour on your tongue, or you’d simply like to know how to clean, store, and maintain your hydration vessel of choice – I’m here to run the tap on the tips and tricks to keep your bottle or bladder reservoir fresh and ready for use.

A new bottle or bladder can sometimes have a plastic taste or odour – which is perfectly normal and will often disappear after the first few uses. However, if you’d like to eliminate that bad taste or odour straight away, there are a few household items you can use to help speed up that process.

Let’s run the tap on the tips and tricks to keep your bottle or bladder reservoir fresh and ready for use. Image: Grayl

Removing Flavour and Odour in Your Bottle or Bladder

1. Scrub

Start by scrubbing your new water bottle or reservoir with warm water and detergent, then wiping it dry.

2. Soak

Fill your bottle or bladder with hot water and add a few teaspoons of either vinegar or baking/bi-carbonate soda. Mix it through and allow to soak overnight.

3. Repeat

In the morning, empty your reservoir and give it another good clean with warm soapy water. You should be good to go!

Give your bottle another good clean in the morning, and it should be good to go! Image: Nalgene

Vinegar and baking soda are a fantastic combination when it comes to bacteria, or unpleasant smells and flavours.

Caring for Your Water Bottle

1. Rinse – Every Time!

The best way to maintain any bottle or bladder is to rinse it out with warm water after every use, and allow it to air-dry completely.

2. Scrub

On a frequent basis, you should look to undertake a more thorough clean using a brush, hot water, and detergent. Give your bottle or bladder a good scrub including the inside, outside, and all fittings and attachments. Scrubbing is the important part, as it’ll physically remove any visible or invisible bacteria.

3. Leave Open When Not in Use

Most odour and taste problems occur when bottles are stored in wet areas or kept sealed for long periods of time with liquid inside. This allows bacteria to develop – so try to drain and air out your bottle after each use.

4. Check the Cleaning Instructions

Some bottles can also be placed in dishwashers, which makes caring for them a little more convenient. Bladders and reservoirs, however, should be kept out of the dishwasher to prevent damage.

Give your bottle or bladder a good scrub including the inside, outside, and all fittings and attachments. Image: Salomon

There are so many household items that you can use to de-funk your dirty bottle or bladder. 

Cleaning a Dirty Bottle or Hydration Reservoir

If your water reservoir develops a funky taste or odour, or if you just want to give it an exceptional clean, there are a range of methods you can try.

1. Hot Water & Detergent

Wash the bottle or bladder using a bottle brush, hot water, and detergent. The bottle brush physically removes the funk from the water bottle with a scrubbing action. Ensure you rinse it well after cleaning, then allow it to air-dry.

2. Baking/Bi-Carbonate Soda

Add a few heaped teaspoons of baking or bi-carb soda into the bottle or bladder and fill with hot water, before allowing it to soak for a few hours. After the soak, wash vigorously with a bottle brush, hot water, and detergent. Rinse, and allow to air-dry.

3. Vinegar

Fill with hot water, add a few teaspoons of regular white vinegar, and allow to soak overnight. If you’ve used baking soda previously, make sure this has been removed – otherwise, you’ll have a DIY volcano explosion on your hands! In the morning, wash out the vinegar with a bottle brush, hot water, and detergent, then rinse and allow to air-dry. The bottle will have a slight vinegar odour for the first few minutes – this will quickly dissipate, and the water bottle should smell fresh and clean.

For an exceptional clean, there are a range of methods you can try. Image: Grayl

4. Anti-Bacterial Mouthwash

Place 2-3 capfuls of anti-bacterial mouthwash per litre of bottle or bladder capacity, and shake for 5 minutes. Empty the bottle or bladder, and wash with a bottle brush, hot water, and detergent before rinsing and allowing to air-dry.

5. HydraPak Bottle Bright Tablets

These tablets are really easy to use. First, wash the bottle with a bottle brush, hot water, and detergent, then rinse. Fill a bottle or bladder with water, and add a cleaning tablet. Shake until dissolved, then let it stand for 5 minutes. Lastly, empty and rinse with clean water.

6. Cleaning Kits

Many hydration brands provide cleaning kits, which come with precise tools to reach into all the nooks and crannies household brushes can’t.

7. Freeze It!

If you’re still not satisfied with your cleaning job, pop your bottle or bladder into the freezer to kill off any remaining bacteria.

Now that you’ve done all the hard work in cleaning it, how do you keep your reservoir this clean? Image: Salomon

Don’t negate all that elbow grease! Take the extra steps to prevent mould and bacteria.

Storing Your Bottle or Bladder

Now that you’ve done all the hard work removing the gunk and taste from your portable hydration station, how do you keep it that clean?

1. Drain the Water

Store your bottle or bladder dry, and avoid leaving water in them for extended periods of time. No matter what cleaning method you adopt, you should always give your bottle a thorough rinse with clean, warm water as soon as you finish. Then, allow it to air-dry completely.

2. Use a Rack for Drying

Air-drying in a well-ventilated area is the most hygienic way to ensure that your bottle or bladder doesn’t develop bacteria, odours, and/or mould. Use racks for bottles, or hooks for bladders so you can dry them upside down. Once you are sure that your bottle or bladder is 100% dry, seal it with the lid and pack it down, before storing it in a dry environment.

3. Remove Any Air

Take extra care with bladders and flexible/collapsible bottles to ensure that no pockets are air-locked with water. You can prevent this by shaking, separating, or using a brace such as the Camelback Reservoir Dryer throughout the drying process.

4. Keep in the Freezer

If you want to next-level with your bottle or bladder, consider storing it in the freezer. This will not only assist in restricting bacteria development, but also keep it cold for when you next choose to use it.

Avoid leaving water in your bottle or bladder for extended periods of time. Image: Nalgene

Do you have any other methods for keeping your reservoir or bottle sparkling clean?