Informative Reads

How to Clean Bottles

By March 19, 2020 No Comments

Per the Health Department guidelines, bottles should be clean on the inside & outside prior to utilizing any filling stations or vending machines.

HOW TO CLEAN THE INSIDE OF BOTTLES if YOU SEE ALGAE DEVELOPING:
*Add a handful of dry uncooked rice
*Add about 2 cups of water, so the rice can be swirled around & shaken up to scrub
*add one cap full of hydrogen peroxide (Optional)
*Vigorously shake bottle up & down, and swirl the rice around until the algae is scrubbed off
*Rinse out thoroughly prior to coming in for your fill

It is not necessary to scrub the inside of bottles, unless you see green algae developing. The development of green algae inside bottles is due to exposure to direct or indirect sunlight. It is easy to avoid algae growth, by storing your bottles in an area away from sunlight, or simply covering your bottles with a dark clothe/towel.

***Brown rice tends to have the best abrasiveness for scrubbing, but any rice will work. You will not want to use any substance more abrasive than rice, which can scratch/gouge the inside of plastic bottles, as this will create areas for bacteria to harbor & grow.

***We highly advise against using bleach or soap to clean the inside of bottles. It is nearly impossible to get the smell of bleach out, which will ruin the smell & taste of perfectly good water. Bleach may also cause accelerated breakdown of plastic bottles, which can cause leaching of chemicals.  Dish soap can be very difficult to remove & can cause severe illness & diarrhea if ingested. Dish soap just isn’t necessary, as there is no food or grease residue in water bottles…at least there shouldn’t be.

***Do not leave lids off to air out bottles. This will allow dirt, debris, bugs & other unknown contaminants to make your bottle home. Always put your lids back on after each use. Our water is ultra-purified & bacteria-free, so you will not get a funky odor by leaving the lids on.

***To avoid algae developing in bottles, it’s best to keep bottles away from sunlight, or any light for that matter. Direct & even indirect sunlight promotes algae growth. Surprisingly, even most household lights can promote algae growth over long periods of exposure. You can avoid algae simply by covering bottles with a dark towel or cloth that is thick enough to prevent light to shine through. It may take years to algae to develop, so it may not be an issue with your bottles. We have our bottles about 4 feet from a kitchen window and have never had an issue with algae. We primarily see algae develop in bottles that are transported in the back of open-bed trucks over a number of years.

HOW TO CLEAN THE OUTSIDE OF BOTTLES
*Lawn hose & a soft sponge
*In the sink, bathtub or shower & a soft sponge
(If you want to use soap to clean the outside, be sure to have your lids on to prevent soap from getting inside bottle.)

***Please DO NOT EVER wash the outside of bottles at our filling stations. This is strictly prohibited for sanitary reasons. It is highly inconsiderate to our business & others filling their clean bottles. Other customers do not want to set down their clean bottles on a surface that a prior person just left debris & contaminants on. The surface of all filling stations should remain clean at all times. Our filling stations & vending machines are cleaned daily, throughout the day.

***Our water is very costly & timely to produce- it is highly disrespectful to our business & hurts our bottom line when customers utilize our water to wash the outside of bottles. It’s like washing a wine glass with a nice bottle of wine prior to pouring yourself a drink…makes no sense & makes said intelligence highly questionable…food for thought…

**Per the Health Department guidelines, bottles should be clean on the inside & outside prior to utilizing any filling station or vending machine.