Anonymous wrote:My kid has had the same water bottle on his nightstand since 1st grade and he’s in 5th. I’ve never washed it. No mold ever.

omg what. WASH THAT THING.

Anonymous wrote:My kid thermo water bottle only store water, no other fluid. But why it has mold every other few days if I forget to wash the soft sprout silicone part (straw and sprout inside)? Do I have to use bleach or lemon or vinegar or detergent to wash them?

Yes. Wash with dish soap.

My kid has had the same water bottle on his nightstand since 1st grade and he’s in 5th. I’ve never washed it. No mold ever.

I have the bottle you're talking about, you have to pull the WHOLE straw mechanism out every day and wash and dry it. I only really use that bottle for the beach and when we'll be out for a while in the heat because it keeps the water water cold and protects the straw. Other times it's not worth the washing and we just use a simpler straw cup.

Anonymous wrote:Mouthes have bacteria. Stale water with bacteria mildews.

Wash with hot water, taking a part the bottle each time.

Bleach will break down the silicone faster.

+1

The big thing is to take the bottle apart, wash the pieces, and let them dry thoroughly. You don't need to use the dishwasher or bleach or anything like that.

Never happened to us with Thermos or Camelbak bottles. We prefer Camelbak because they never leak.

I am very conscious of the our water bottle designs for the cleaning aspect. Mine are Thermos screw on lids with no silicone ring. Kids get Thermos push button with few crevices and definitely no straw. I wash them in hot/soapy water daily and have backups for those days when I don't feel like (or there's no room in the dishwasher) washing them for use the next day. If the kids are taking milk, I use vacuum sealed Contigo containers with screw on lids and no silicone ring. Never had a leak with these, but they aren't dishwasher safe.

My daughter lives SM, Contigo and Camelbak water bottles. We take them apart, and use straw brushes to make sure they stay clean. Our dishwasher has a bottle cleaner function and sterilize button so check yours for that too. Most of the have this.

Anonymous wrote:You always need to take it apart to dry in this humid region, OP.

This is why I buy the simplest bottles I can find, with the least number of parts, and the easiest to take apart and put together: Kleen Kanteen with screw tops. 3 pieces: bottle, top, silicone ring.

+1

We bought Yetis after a few years of Contigos. Two parts - the bottle and the top. Both dishwasher safe and no need for brushes, etc.

You always need to take it apart to dry in this humid region, OP.

This is why I buy the simplest bottles I can find, with the least number of parts, and the easiest to take apart and put together: Kleen Kanteen with screw tops. 3 pieces: bottle, top, silicone ring.

I've never had a water bottle mold, except when a child lost it at school and found it more than a week later. Yes, it will mold from the bacteria in their mouth, and it's also possible that particles of food from their mouth entered the silicone.

Personally, I run water bottles through the dishwasher everyday. I'd rather replace more frequently and know that they are sterile.

Mouths have bacteria and other things, which get on the parts ad cause growth, especially in hot weather. Yes, use detergent. If you keep the water bottle in the refrigerator when not being used, you can sometimes go two days without washing. But we had three cups we rotated through (one per day) so we could keep them clean and always have a spare.

Mouthes have bacteria. Stale water with bacteria mildews.

Wash with hot water, taking a part the bottle each time.

Bleach will break down the silicone faster.

Uhhh this has never happened to me and that sounds disgusting! Please take it apart every time you are washing it! Otherwise it is trapping bacteria in there for days..

My kid thermo water bottle only store water, no other fluid. But why it has mold every other few days if I forget to wash the soft sprout silicone part (straw and sprout inside)? Do I have to use bleach or lemon or vinegar or detergent to wash them?