Why you should NEVER reuse a plastic water bottle

If you’re giving yourself pats on the back because you keep a disposable water bottle on your desk or in your bag to make sure you drink enough water each day, pat away.

But also be aware the way you’re getting that water into your system - even if it's with one of those health-conscious BPA free water bottles - might actually be exposing you to huge amounts of bacteria.

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Website Treadmillreviews.net decided to see exactly how bad the bacteria build up gets when we reuse water containers, testing bottles 12 athletes had reused during the week.

The study claims to have found the bottles were a germaphobe’s nightmare, with up to 300,000 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/sq cm).

To put that into some horrifying bacteria perspective, the website claims that the average pet toy has 2937 CFU.

No surprises here, but the area where your lips make contact with the bottle are the germiest, with straw top bottles containing less bacteria than their screw and squeeze top counterparts.

Clearly we still need to be able to carry water with us, so what to do?

“Based on our test results, we suggest opting for a straw-top bottle, both for the low prevalence of bacteria and the lack of harmful germs,” the website claims.

“We also know that when it comes to water bottles and bacteria, stainless steel is a better choice than plastic.”

If the thought of getting rid of your favourite water bottle gives you separation anxiety, another way to help minimise bacteria is run it through the dishwasher for a proper clean.

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