The Best Ways to Clean & Sanitize a New Water Bottle

• Wash your new water bottle, cap, and any small parts (like a straw) with warm water and dish soap. Then, rinse it out with water and let it air dry.
• If your bottle still smells, fill it with cool water and add 1 tbsp (15 ml) of bleach for every 1 quart (1 l) of water. Let the bleach sit for 15 min, then wash the bottle.
• Or, deep clean your bottle by filling it ⅕ full with white vinegar and topping it with warm water. Shake the bottle and let it sit overnight before rinsing it out.

Cleaning Your New Bottle, Cap, and Straw with Dish Soap

Wash the bottle and cap with dish soap and warm water. If your new water bottle can’t be washed in the dishwasher, wash it by hand. Just fill your sink with warm water and a squirt of dish soap. Then, use a sponge to clean the inside, lip, and outside of the bottle. Scrub inside and outside of the bottle cap, too. Or, fill the bottle with warm water and dish soap and shake it to evenly disperse the soap inside. Rinse the bottle and cap thoroughly with water to remove any soap.

Scrub the inside of the bottle with a bottle brush, if necessary. If it's hard to reach the inside of the bottle because it has a small mouth, use a bottle brush to clean the interior. Simply fill the bottle with warm water and dish soap and scrub down the insides. Scrub the outside of the bottle to remove any stickers, sticker residue, or embellishments, too. If you don’t want to use a brush, pour 2 tbsp (11.5 g) of uncooked rice into the bottle, fill it halfway with water, and add a few drops of soap. Then, shake the bottle to agitate the rice and scrub the bottle.

Clean the mouthpiece and straw with a straw cleaner. If your water bottle comes with a reusable straw or lid with a mouthpiece, wet a small straw brush cleaner with warm water and add a dab of dish soap. Then, scrub inside the pieces and rinse them thoroughly with water. Clean any other small pieces on your water bottle, like a bite valve, with the straw cleaner.

Use the dishwasher if the water bottle is dishwasher safe. As an alternative to hand washing, check the packaging on the water bottle to see if it’s dishwasher safe, or look at the bottom of the bottle. If it is, simply place your bottle on the top rack of your dishwasher and run your washer’s hottest water setting. Remove the water bottle cap and any other parts, like a straw, to ensure each part of the water bottle gets cleaned. Wash your bottle according to any special instructions on the packaging or bottle. For example, you might need to use a particular dishwasher setting to avoid damaging the bottle.

Let the bottle, cap, and straw air dry completely before using. Place the water bottle and any other parts on a drying rack or clean towel to dry. Keeping the water bottle parts separate helps them dry faster and prevents bacteria from growing. When your water bottle is dry, reassemble the parts and fill it with water! If your new bottle still smells or has residue inside, use one of the deep cleaning methods below to get it sparkling clean.

How often should you clean a water bottle?

Wash your water bottle with dish soap every day. If you use your water bottle every day, wash it as well as the cap and any other parts (like a straw) after each use. Cleaning it with dish soap and warm water prevents germs, bacteria, mold, and unwanted gunk from building up inside. Dish soap effectively cleans plastic, stainless steel, and glass water bottles. If your water bottle is dishwasher-safe, simply load it in your dishwasher at the end of each day. Bacteria and germs thrive in warm, damp, and dark conditions, so they grow and multiply quickly inside your water bottle. Touching your water bottle, drinking out of it, and setting it down on surfaces also cause bacteria to build up on and inside your bottle.

Deep clean your water bottle once per week. Regularly cleaning your water bottle can still leave behind unwanted bacteria and germs. So, sanitize your bottle, cap, and any other parts at least once per week using bleach, vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or a cleaning tablet, as described in the sections above. Cleaning specialist Jonathan Tavarez recommends doing “a daily maintenance of cleaning the water bottle…with soap and water before attempting to disinfect [it]. These deep cleaning methods work great for plastic, stainless steel, and glass water bottles.

Replace your water bottle with a new one each year. Even with regular cleaning, your water bottle deteriorates over time. Get a new water bottle after a year of regular use, or once it shows signs of wear and tear. Instead of throwing out your old bottle, call your local recycling center to see if they process reusable water bottles. Or, reuse your water bottle for another purpose, like a storage container or vase. Throw out your water bottle if you ever see mold growing inside. It is hard to safely remove mold from a water bottle.