While Lydia Buchtmann from the Food Safety Information Council agrees it isn't a "huge risk", she says there is a possibility of developing gastro or food poisoning from a dirty water bottle, which is why she recommends washing them daily.
Week-old water is safe to drink as long as the bottle is clean and sealed properly, and stored in an area where there is no direct sunlight. Moreover, you can also store water in a tightly sealed stainless steel bottle for up to 6 months.
Those germs can remain on the bottle for a day, a week, a month. You really need to clean it after every use,” she said. Bacteria, fungi and even mold can thrive in a water bottle, thanks mainly to its moist environment.
Bacteria, such as E. coli, can grow in water bottles and lead to food poisoning-like symptoms or gastroenteritis -- even mold can grow in your bottle if you're not careful. That's why it's important to clean the smaller parts of the water bottle with a toothbrush or bottle brush.
“You need to wash your water bottles after every use,” Sansori says, “or daily if you refill throughout the day. It may only hold water, but bacteria breeds in damp, dark environments like the inside of the bottle.” Read more: How Long Can Germs Live on Surfaces at Home?
There is a good chance the mold spores growing on your reusable water bottle aren't harmful, but why take the chance? It doesn't take much work to keep your bottle from growing mold, although you'll have to start cleaning it on a more regular basis.
According to testing done by EmLab P & K, reusable water bottles carry all sorts of germs. Here is a brief look at the results: Reusable water bottles can be crawling with as many as 300,000 colony forming units per square centimeter (CFU/sq cm). By comparison, your pet's water bowl has on average 43,000 CFU/sq cm.
Plastic Bottles and Bacteria Growth
It's best to reuse plastic water bottles sparingly and wash them thoroughly because germs spread so quickly. Additionally, wear and tear on the bottle from reuse can create cracks and scratches in the surface where more bacteria can grow.
Reused Plastic Bottles Can Leach Toxic Chemicals
Repeated re-use of plastic bottles—which get dinged up through normal wear and tear while being washed—increases the chance that chemicals will leak out of the tiny cracks and crevices that develop in the containers over time.
It's a matter of days to find mold in water bottle
On average, black mold can appear as soon as 48 hours, and as late as five days after the last wash. That's often how frequently people wash their reusable water bottles.
The water left overnight or for a long period of time in an open glass or container is home to numerous bacterias and is not safe for drinking. You never know how much dust, debris, and other small microscopic particles might have passed into that glass.. Water left in a bottle for a long time is not safe to drink.
Researchers have found several hundred different chemical substances in tap water stored in reusable plastic bottles. Several of these substances are potentially harmful to human health. There is a need for better regulation and manufacturing standards for manufacturers, according to the chemists behind the study.
According to Business Insider, bottled water costs nearly 2,000 times more than tap water. For those who are focused on their personal money management, switching from bottled water to filtration at the tap makes practical financial sense.
Most baby bottles can be cleaned and sterilized easily. That means it's safe to use them for multiple babies. But make sure to replace those nipples. Baby slings, wraps and carriers generally hold up over time.
Now that you know the benefits of bottling your own water and what to look for when purchasing a water bottle – pick one that's best for you! Glass is the safest water bottle type and offers the purity of taste, but stainless steel offers insulation benefits that keep your beverages hot or cold.
Biofilms are the natural home of bacteria and other microbes. Once you know to look for biofilm, it is easy to recognize, just look for a slimy substance that coats the lip, spout or straw of your water bottle. Biofilm can form anywhere bacteria can adhere to the surface in a moist environment.
Drinking from a moldy water bottle can make you sick because you are swallowing mold. Mold can cause all kinds of problems including respiratory problems, nausea, cramping, diarrhea and unexplained infections.
In a recent study, chemists at the University of Copenhagen discovered that tap water that gets stored in reusable plastic bottles contains hundreds and sometimes thousands of chemicals; many that are damaging to human health, and many more that have unknown toxicity.
Check the Recycling Codes
One way to check if your water bottle is BPA free is to look for the identification code. BPA-safe bottles should only use codes 1, 2, 4, or 5. Turn the bottle upside down, and you should see the recycling code at the bottom. The symbol shows a triangle made of three arrows encasing a number.
Some swear by the method of letting their water sit for 24 hours so that the chlorine in the glass or pitcher will off-gas. Letting the tap run for awhile is not likely to remove any sizable portion of chlorine, unless one were to then let the water sit overnight before consuming it.
“If it's allowed to incubate for hours, that could potentially contaminate the water, and make you ill by reintroducing that bacteria,” says Marc Leavey, MD, primary care specialist at Mercy Medical Center in Massachusetts.
Mineral, structured, and pure spring water are some of the healthiest water you can drink because they're clean and contain all the essential minerals your body needs. Filtered water removes contaminants but might also remove essential minerals.
Reusable stainless steel bottles are the way of the future as one of the biggest ways to help reduce single use plastic, so, of course, you want to keep it properly maintained so it can last as long as possible! As these bottles have a very moist environment it's easy for mold and bacteria such as E.