Is your bottle clean? I wouldn't bidon it...

[Darkman]

So, stupid jokes aside, I have a couple of water bottles (I hate the word "bidon" for some reason!). One of them is a Specialized bottle, the other is a High5 one.

The valves have got very difficult to open on both, and on the High5 one, which has a transparent lid, I can see black mold beginning to form in the valve which I just can't get in to clean (not that I'd just clean the mold out and crack on, but it's there BECAUSE I can't get inside the valve to clean it).

This concerns me as my Specialized bottle is older and has a black lid, so I can't see what's potentially lurking in its inaccessible recesses.

How on earth are you meant to prevent this from happening? Are there any bottles with removable valves that I should be looking at?

[Jdsk]

Basic principles for moulds:

1 The spores are everywhere.
2 Wash the components with something that kills the mould.
3 Dry everything after washing.
4 Keep it dry after that.
5 Consider keeping components in a freezer.

Once mould is growing in the plastic itself I throw the component away.

Jonathan

[Blondie]

You can clean by soaking in a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and hot water.

An alternative is Milton cleansing fluid usually used on baby bottles.

You can also get small brushes that will fit through the valve to loosen any mold.

If you drink anything that contains sugar that’s where the mold is getting it’s food. Plain water in the bottle usually means they stay mold free.

[Darkman]

Thanks for the speedy replies.

You can clean by soaking in a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and hot water.

An alternative is Milton cleansing fluid usually used on baby bottles.

Hm, I never thought of that!

You can also get small brushes that will fit through the valve to loosen any mold.

The trouble is, the mold is between the uppy-downy* bit of the valve, and the outer part of the bottle neck. I'm guessing this is why the bottle is now difficult to open/close. I don't think any kind of brush is going to get that out, but the Milton or vinegar methods might do the job for future bottles.

* Technical term

[PH]

The valve of the current CamelBak Podium bottle disassembles for thorough cleaning. It was also possible on the previous versions, just not as easy.
Apart from being unsightly, does it do any harm? I know we like to live in a sterilised clean world, but I suspect people have been drinking from dodgy containers for ever.

[Audax67]

After every ride my bottles get filled with tap-water at 60°C and left to stand until the next time. I usually get new ones every 5 years or so, either when the outsides get too ratty or when they split.

Word to the wise: if you find a bottle you like, lay in a stock. Elite used to do some lovely 1-litre bottles that were easy to open with wet, stiff and slippery hands, and now they're gone. Form may follow function, but Marketing will bugger them both up.

[peetee]

I only use clear bottles so it is easier to check that they haven’t reached the end of their useful life and/or each cleaning sesh has been done properly.
When I clean them they are the first thing to go in the washing up bowl so the water is really hot and soapy and no other residue from plates or whatever gets anywhere near them. The mouth spout is open and I squeeze the bottle really hard to flush it through. Every month or so they are all taken out of the cupboard, filled with Milton solution and the caps placed upside down on the full bottles so they sit in the solution too.
It’s not that I am OCD about cleanliness, no, it’s more that I have ‘Too Many Bikes Syndrome’ and when my stock of bottles drys up I pop out to inspect the lesser-used steeds and, Hey presto! They magically appear!
As an aside, any bottle that has not been used for a while and starts to taste of plastic can be soaked in salty water for a couple of hours then rinsed. This usually removes the odor.

[leftpoole]

So, stupid jokes aside, I have a couple of water bottles (I hate the word "bidon" for some reason!). One of them is a Specialized bottle, the other is a High5 one.

The valves have got very difficult to open on both, and on the High5 one, which has a transparent lid, I can see black mold beginning to form in the valve which I just can't get in to clean (not that I'd just clean the mold out and crack on, but it's there BECAUSE I can't get inside the valve to clean it).

This concerns me as my Specialized bottle is older and has a black lid, so I can't see what's potentially lurking in its inaccessible recesses.

How on earth are you meant to prevent this from happening? Are there any bottles with removable valves that I should be looking at?

You obviously have not sterilized properly after use or even on a regular basis.

[slowster]

Every so often instead of just washing the bottle up after use, I use a Milton sterilising tablet. I prefer the tablets to the fluid, but not everywhere stocks them. I also use them similarly to clean Sigg water bottles.

[Cyclewala]

Bleach, diluted overnight. Thorough rinse the following day. Also turns discoloured bottles to perfect white.

Remember: thorough rinse.

[iandriver]

All the bottles I've got, pinch together the tabs on the inside of the lid and the pop up bit will remove for cleaning.

A specialized big gulp, disassembled.

[Mick F]

Milton.

Full stop.

[roberts8]

I use baby bottle sterilisers regularly on drinks bottles and our self contained water feature and all are mould free. Also, I am sure there is no VAT on baby products.

[mjr]

How on earth are you meant to prevent this from happening? Are there any bottles with removable valves that I should be looking at?

1. Remove the valve for cleaning, as described above. If a bottle has a valve that doesn't remove, don't use it, or at least not the valve (treat it as a screw-cap bottle). Relatedly: if you mount the bottle in any place frequently splattered by mud (such as the popular locations inside the frame triangle), get one with a lid.

2. Alternatively, use bottles without valves, often sold for hikers or runners.

3. Either way, get a good coconut-bristle bottle brush and use it.

[Norman H]

An earlier thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=125046