Re-using water bottles

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pengyou

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I am putting this thread here because this question is related to outdoor activities. Are there any cautions about reusing the water bottles (usually 600ml size that you buy water in)? I usually drink water from a water bottle over the course of an hour or two, rather than just pouring it out quickly, so my mouth comes into contact with the mouth of the bottle many times.

If it is a good idea to reuse them - put water or coke or juice from a larger bottle, etc) what is the safest way to clean these bottles?
 
I wash mine daily in a sink of soapy water, rinse in a sink with 1 capful of bleach and rinse again, allow to to air dry. I use a bottle for a week. Usually have two or three going at a time, with one in the freezer half full for ice water.
 
At home I usually drink Ice tea. In a tall glass with a handle. Like a beer mug. During the course of the day,my lips touch the rim and as the tea is drained, it leaves a small stain on the lip. More visual. I don['t think it matters if it is glass or plasitc. So yes, wash the bottle. I do this once / day when I do dishes, or take a new mug. Water bottles are not so visual, but I suspect they get the same use and require the same cleaning. I have several carry along water bottles which I prefer filling rather than use the flimsy sided plastic pre filled bottles that are over priced to begin with.

Filling and putting in the freezer is a good idea too.
 
The only caution I have seen is about them getting hot and releasing chemicals.

I don't know if it's true or not, why take a chance.

Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!
On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her
breast cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause
of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue..

Sheryl Crow’s oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled
water that has been left in a car. The heat reacts with the chemicals
in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water.
Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue. So please
be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind
we need to know that just might save us! Use a stainless steel canteen
or a glass bottle instead of plastic!

This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center … No plastic containers in microwaves. No plastic water
bottles in freezers. No plastic wrap in microwaves.

Dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to cells in our bodies. Don’t freeze plastic bottles with water
in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently the Wellness
Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain
this health hazard.

He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we
should not be heating food in the microwave using plastic containers…..
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin
into the food.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Pyrex or ceramiccontainers
for heating food… You get the same result, but without the dioxin.. So,
such things as TV dinners, instant soups, etc., should be removed from
their containers and heated in something else.

Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s safer to
use tempered glass, such as Pyrex, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants
moved away from the styrene foam containers to paper. The dioxin
problem is one of the reasons….

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Cling film, is just as
dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.
As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually
melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with
a paper towel instead.
 
I wash mine daily in a sink of soapy water, rinse in a sink with 1 capful of bleach and rinse again, allow to to air dry. I use a bottle for a week. Usually have two or three going at a time, with one in the freezer half full for ice water.


We do the same for the sport bottle types.
 
Regardless of any urban legend surrounding plastic bottles, what's clear is that the disposable bottles are manufactured from finite resources and are bad for the environment.

Much better to buy a sports water bottle that's dishwasher safe and made be refilled as many times as you like.
 
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Regardless of any urban legend surrounding plastic bottles, what's clear is that the bottles are manufactured from finite resources and are bad for the environment.

Much better to buy a sports water bottle that's dishwasher safe and made be refilled as many times as you like.

++1.
 
Regardless of any urban legend surrounding plastic bottles, what's clear is that the disposable bottles are manufactured from finite resources and are bad for the environment.

Much better to buy a sports water bottle that's dishwasher safe and made be refilled as many times as you like.

In some municipalities the only way to get good drinking water is to purchase it in bottles.

The only time I purchase water is when I am out and about. Those are the bottles that come home and are reused. It's so much nicer to get a cold water when it's hot out when my sports bottle has run out. Oh and we recycle, diligently.
 
We reuse the bottles until they are worn out and then recycle them. We have a water cooler in the house and refill them from that and keep them in the fridge. At the moment we are reusing Gatorade sport bottles.
 
I bought a large sports bottle with stripes on it and keep it at work for sun tea; I take it home and wash it about once a month. Ditto for the water bottle I use at work - from TJ Maxx with lips on it - and the gym, black with a holster for carrying. They're all reusable & dishwasher safe too.
 
I have been in the "non-tourist" areas of many countries. Not only do they reuse disposable plastic bottles with minimal cleansing (rinse out), they refill them with water or juices for resale. They all seem to survive.
 
Big, heavy gallon ceramic, or glass jug, filled with your favorite beverage is not only contaminant free, but gives your biceps a workout every time you take a swig.:LOL:

Only problem is that for a milk driker like me, it's very difficult to get teh cheese curd out of that little hole in the top. Teh whey comes out easily enough.:ohmy::LOL:

Yes I am strange. Thank you, thank you.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North:LOL:
 
Some people are concerned that the plastic water bottles get dinged and bent from repeated use and that that could cause chemicals to leach into the water. There are also some inaccurate scare stories.

This is what Snopes has to say about it: snopes.com: Reuse of Plastic Bottles

I use BPA free reusable bottles. They were cheap.
 
Anyone else wondering why Sheryl Crow can't go home for a glass of water?
Us Commoners do it everyday. Boy, when we were kids Mom let us drink from the garden hose. How dare she!!! :LOL:

We use them once then recycle. Keep a few that aren't to be used but kept frozen for small ice chests. They make great crackling sounds in dog toys they love them. BAD BUNNY!!! BAAAAAD! CRUNCH-CRUNCH!!... :LOL:
 
I am putting this thread here because this question is related to outdoor activities. Are there any cautions about reusing the water bottles (usually 600ml size that you buy water in)? I usually drink water from a water bottle over the course of an hour or two, rather than just pouring it out quickly, so my mouth comes into contact with the mouth of the bottle many times.

If it is a good idea to reuse them - put water or coke or juice from a larger bottle, etc) what is the safest way to clean these bottles?
I usually keep a bottle of mineral water in the car so I can have a quick slurp when I need it. So I often drink from a bottle that has been opened for a few days. I was recently told that this was not a good idea as the plastic degrades in sunlight (what sunlight - this is Briain!) and the heat of the car. Not sure whether there is any truth or science in this but it suggests that bottles should be kept in the cold and dark even when empty.
 
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I usually keep a bottle of mineral water in the car so I can have a quick slurp when I need it. So I often drink from a bottle that has been opened for a few days. I was recently told that this was not a good idea as the plastic degrades in sunlight (what sunlight - this is Briain!) and the heat of the car. Not sure whether there is any truth or science in this but it suggests that bottles should be kept in the cold and dark even when empty.

Most of the countries I was talking about in my post above, are in the tropics.;)
 
I don't buy water. Our municipal supply is very good. I do have one bottle that I refill and keep in the fridge. I take it to Winthrop with me every time I go there. By the time I arrive, the bottle is empty and I refill it at their large bottled water supply. I used to have a pitcher in the fridge that had a filter on it. It just sat there and I never reached for it for a drink. Just opened the faucet and took a drink from the hose. Still do that on occasion. Revisiting moments of my childhood when I drank from the garden hose. And I didn't die.

I do wash or rinse out the plastic bottle every so often. And I am still not dead. I am terrible at keeping myself hydrated. That bottle of water is the only way I drink water. I should drink more. I am working on it. First I have to develop a taste for water. :angel:
 
I usually keep a bottle of mineral water in the car so I can have a quick slurp when I need it. So I often drink from a bottle that has been opened for a few days. I was recently told that this was not a good idea as the plastic degrades in sunlight (what sunlight - this is Briain!) and the heat of the car. Not sure whether there is any truth or science in this but it suggests that bottles should be kept in the cold and dark even when empty.

Yes, plastic breaks down after long exposure to sunlight, and I mean weeks/months not days. It has to do with the long term exposure to the UV rays.
 
I buy water in plastic bottles before hurricane season comes. I'm on a well, and if the power went out, I'd have no water. Then, at the end of the season I feel obliged to drink what hasn't been used -- it costs too much to water flowers with it. The bottles have been sitting all summer. I don't know how else I could guarantee a temporary water supply.

I recycle most of the empties, but save some. When my rose bushes are putting out lots of flowers, I use an empty as a throw-away bud vase and take a rose to the reception desk at the doctor's office -- or the post office, etc. Like Sara Lee, seems nobody doesn't like rose buds.

If I were to buy a carton of glass canning jars with screw lids, could I fill them with tap water and keep them over the summer months? Would that be safer? And would running them through the dishwasher before filling be sufficient sterilization?

I think keeping an emergency water supply on hand would be good to have almost anywhere, not just here in hurricane-land.
 
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