How to clean a reusable bottle

I recently purchased a Klean stainless steel water bottle to keep in my car as a backup water supply. I chose this particular bottle, the klean kanteen, because it can hold 64 ounces and won’t let plastic leach into the water over the course of weeks and months of sitting in the heat and direct sunlight. The bottle wasn’t cheap, it set me back $32.95 at REI so I wanted to learn how to take care of it to make it last and keep from tasting bad over time.

In addition to this newer bottle I also carry around a plastic, BPA free, Camelbak bottle on a daily basis for hydration. Over time, both of these bottles will need cleaning and I’ve put together a few steps for cleaning them naturally in a way that won’t deteriorate the materials or leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

  • klean recommends that for a thorough cleaning you hand-wash the bottle using mild soap and a bottle brush
  • an alternative to mild soap is a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda, this should clean the bottle out and taste fresh
  • many bottles, including most of the stainless steel klean bottles, are also dishwasher safe but they recommend you do not wash the plastic cap this way
  • whenever you are washing any type of bottle do not submerge it with the cap screwed on as pressure can squeeze inside and do not freeze it as that could crack the bottle