bottle cleaning tips

It's that time of the year when you’re digging out reusable bottles and hydration packs from a winter hiatus. But what is that funky smell and taste? We’re here to share the good news and the bad news...

The Bad News

The bad news is the funk hanging out in your bottle is most likely mold. If you see black gunk, you can be 99% sure it’s mold. However, mold spores are microscopic, which explains why sometimes your bottle smells and tastes funky, but looks clean. More bad news: mold thrives on carbohydrate based fuels like Tailwind Endurance Fuel. Ugh!

The Good News

The good news is that now that you know what to look for, it’s easy to keep your reusable bottles and hydration packs fresh. Over time, it’s pretty common for them to develop unpleasant smells and tastes, but this is a simple problem to fix with proper storage and cleaning.

General Care

The best way to maintain any reusable water bottle or hydration pack is to clean it out after each use and let it air dry completely. Most problems occur when bottles are stored in dark, damp areas or kept sealed for long periods of time with liquid inside. So think twice next time you absentmindedly throw your bottle into the deep dark corner of your garage or forget to take it out of your gym bag!

Cleaning Tips

If your reusable bottle or hydration pack develops a funky taste or odor, do the following:

  1. Add a teaspoon of bleach to your vessel and fill it to the brim with cold water.
  2. Let sit for 10 minutes, then put the cap on and turn upside down several times to soak the cap thoroughly.
  3. Rinse thoroughly with hot water (chlorine breaks down in heat, so a few rinses in hot water will get rid of any residual bleach). P.S. You can also throw in the dishwasher at this point if your vessel is dishwasher safe.
  4. Let your reusable bottle or hydration pack air dry completely.

Make sure to do this each time you use your reusable bottle or hydration pack to extend the life of your product. Train, race, clean, repeat!

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