Water bottles are the ‘perfect environment for bacteria to grow’ – as we’ve seen from the horror pics on social media. Follow these steps to stay clean
E
nvironmentally friendly and convenient, reusable water bottles are on the rise. But on social media, people seem confused about how to clean them, and post horrifying pictures of mold growing inside.
Water sourced from a municipal water supply is likely very clean, explains Kelly Reynolds at the University of Arizona, who studies water quality and disease transmission.
But bacteria and viruses can make their way into a water bottle via our hands and saliva. “The water bottle itself is just the perfect environment for bacteria to grow,” says Reynolds. “It’s a little incubator.”
