Water bottle cleaning filter (heh)

February 2, 2004 10:20 AM

I'd like to clean my Sigg water bottle, but don't feel like paying 10 bucks for "cleaning tablets." Any tried and true alternatives?
posted by DenOfSizer to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

It's hard to tell from the Sigg site, but this is just a plastic HDPE bottle, right? I put about tablespoon (15 mL) of bleach in the bottle, fill with lukewarm water and le them stand open overnight. Drain, wash with dishsoap, rinse well, then airdry. Easy, and the bottles last forever this way.
posted by bonehead at 10:53 AM on February 2, 2004

Gee, and here I buy PUR filters to get the taste of bleach and chorline OUT of my water ;)

Seriously though, I would suggest an effervescent denture cleaner. I use them on almost anything I need to clean that is difficult to access but will come in contact with my mouth.
posted by terrapin at 10:58 AM on February 2, 2004

Sigg bottles are aluminum, I think, but the same trick I use for a plastic bottle should work: dish soap, hot water, and a handful of uncooked rice shaken vigorously.
posted by teg at 11:16 AM on February 2, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks, folks! I have three Siggs, so I'll try each method! By the way, I cannot endorse drinking water out of a Sigg more enthusiastically. They are delightful! So much nicer than either plastic or glass.
posted by DenOfSizer at 11:46 AM on February 2, 2004

Sorry, can't agree. I have drank from aluminum before (cans) and there is no way anyone can convince me that drinking out of aluminum (or any other metal) tastes better than glass. Glass is the best container for holding drink--including thermoses.
posted by terrapin at 12:37 PM on February 2, 2004

You are right Terrapin but glass is heavy and it trends to want to break when crashing against rocks and stuff. I have Sigg bottles for hiking and they are fabulous -- (I think) they have a coating inside that keeps the aluminum taste from the water -- like a Keystone beer can? Funny thing is, I've never had to clean my Sigg bottles apart from the usual soapy hot water splashing about they receive after most uses. I think what is most amazing about those bottles is how truly lovely something so ordinary can be.
posted by Dick Paris at 4:54 PM on February 2, 2004

1. fill with hot soapy water.

2. place in trunk

3. drive around for a day or two.

(it works for clothes, anyway)
posted by mecran01 at 7:59 PM on February 2, 2004

Sigg bottles are lined with plastic to avoid contamination of the liquid with aluminium, which is shown to be a contributing factor to dementia if ingested.
Fill with bicarbonate of soda and water, leave to stand for one hour. Shake and empty.
Most things around the home can be cleaned with bicarbonate of soda, vinegar or bleach.
posted by asok at 5:47 AM on February 3, 2004 [1 favorite]

Asok, I can't let this : ...aluminum, which is shown to be a contributing factor to dementia if ingested go by. This is a terrible, hysterical, factoid. Each and every one of us consumes gram quantities of aluminum per day. Aluminum is the most common metal in the earth's crust. There are very high natural levels of aluminum in drinking water compared with other metals. If aluminum caused dementia, we would all be mad.

In fact, the old fish tale is based on an early report on Alzheimer's disease. Advanced Alzheimer's sufferers were found to have regions of high concentrations of aluminum, "plaques", in their brains. The popular press, abetted by some snake-oil "experts", immediately made the connection that aluminum==bad, and thus an entire generation's cookware was disposed of. As it turns out, further research has shown than the aluminum plaques are a result of the Alzheimer's condition, not the cause.

Some people find drinking from aluminum containers objectionable, myself included, but that's an aesthetic issue, not a heath one.
posted by bonehead at 6:12 AM on February 3, 2004 [1 favorite]