Reusable water bottles are not as healthy as you think. They harbor large amounts of what could be dangerous bacteria. Athletes who had their bottles tested over a weekend had more bacteria than dog toys growing on them. Different tested water bottles grow different amounts of bacteria, with the slide top bottle being the biggest offender. There are ways to avoid bacteria growth. choose a healthier type of bottle and wash after each use avoiding letting them sit for a while.

Key Takeaways:

• Refillable plastic water bottles harbor many harmful bacteria after use.
• Straw-topped bottles contained the least amount of bacteria while slide-topped bottles contained the most.
• Reusable water bottles should be washed in the dishwasher or hand-washed in a mild bleach solution after each use.

“The classic screw-top bottles had 159,060 CFU, meaning that a swig from that is about as bad as lapping up water from your kitchen sink.”

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3979133/do-you-always-refill-water-bottles-heres-the-gross-reason-you-really-shouldnt/