Water bottles need to be cleaned weekly to reduce bacterial growth
A microbiologist has warned that your water bottle may be a portable Petri dish if it is not cleaned properly.
The bacteria accumulation is being compared to ‘ barnacles on a boat’ and the most dangerous ones come from the outside world, which can cause strep and staph infections.
To transform the infected vessel back to a healthy water bottle, it is suggested that you clean every inch with hot, soapy water and a bottle brush, and do so at least once a week.
Dr. Philip Tierno, clinical professor of pathology and microbiology at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Mashable that "it's imperative to scrub the inside of the bottle, too. Merely rinsing is not going to do the trick."
"Bacteria tend to form a biofilm on the inside of the reusable container over time," he said in the interview.
"So you need mechanical action to get rid of that biofilm that coats the inside of the bottle."
He continued to explain to Chloe Bryan with Mashable that the bacteria accumulation is similar to on a boat, or the soap grime that builds up on a bathtub.
Data has shown that humans buy a million plastic bottles around the world ever minute and 91 percent of them are not recycled.
So the shift from the twist top bottle to a reusable one could help reduce waste, but if you are not cleaning it properly, it may increase your risk of infection.
But if you are one of the many water bottle owners who have neglected their jug, you are not alone and many have flocked to twitter to share this blunder.
Some just shared a friendly reminder to the masses to wash their water bottle.
While another Twitter user shared that they actually found black mold lurking inside - but many do not think about what is lurking on the outside of their bottle.
Tierno told Mashable that it is the outside bacteria that is the most concerning.
"Some people may [for example] carry strains of staph that other people don't have. They may pick those up shaking hands with somebody, touching things like countertops, doorknobs, elevator buttons, telephones, computer keyboards," he said.
"You're constantly exchanging flora on your hands, and then you're touching your water bottle."
"You're unscrewing it, capping it, scraping lipstick from the mouthpiece — basically, you're ensuring that whatever was on your hands is getting into that water."