Ask Lemmy

Reading other replies, I find it interesting. I use a manna water bottle (big 128fl oz one) and typically drink about half a day. I normally can let it be for quite awhile (a few weeks I’d say) before feeling like I should clean it.

I'm a huge fan of glass bottles because of their ease of cleaning and resilience to getting funky. The lid is the only place you have to be careful of, but that's usually a lot easier to be mindful of

I really like my owala water bottle. I don't think there's any hidey-mouldy places, and it's water-tight. I also appreciate the dual straw&chug mouthpiece. Pretty clever imo.

Using 2 bottles atm. Both from LTT (youtuber merch).
After use I clean them witg fresh water and dry them over night in a reverse position.
So far it was sufficient to not develop any smell. On ocassion I'll clean it with dish soap.

I've had a Hydroflask wide mouth for about 7 or 8 years now and I've never had any mold issues with it. At least once a week after cleaning with soap, I pour in maybe half a cup of white vinegar, put the cap on, and shake it around, then leave it for about 15 minutes or so, then rinse it out fully. Never had any issues with mold on the bottle or in the cap. I use a bottle brush I got from the baby section of the supermarket to clean it out.

Just clean them. I soak mine in hot bleach water for a few hours, then rinse thoroughly 🤷‍♀️

I like wide mouth bottles that match the diameter of the rest of the bottle, because they are the easiest to clean. You can even just toss them in the dishwasher depending in the material.

I also try to only buy titanium bottles since they last a lot longer than stainless steel. Some brands are too expensive but ive gotten lucky in the past with no name brands.

I have a Bubba water "bottle" I've been using daily since 2019. No mold, no issues. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079B962YQ Non-affiliate link.

I have a stainless steel Nalgene bottle that I only use for water. It does have a plastic cap that is a bit unsatisfying. But, I haven't noticed any mould issues and it's perfectly ok to clean the metal part with boiling water or with bleach.

I just use those protein blender bottles as a water bottle and they work great. They're high capacity, simple, and fit well into cup holders. There aren't any gaskets or crevices for mold to grow (plus they're clear and light kills mold). I have like 4-5 of them that I cycle through.

Youtuber "Miranda Goes Outside" just came out with a bottle that's supposed to resemble a Smart Water bottle in form-factor but have the entire top unscrew ( in addition to the narrow standard bottle cap) for easy cleaning.

Never had mold in my Camelbak chute

I just use a plastic volvic bottle. They're usually fine for a couple of weeks. I guess it would depend what's in your local water supply.

I’ve used a single Sigg traveler bottle for ages, but I’ve had mold buildup on the cap seal. Luckily Sigg has the caps sold as spare parts, so I’ve only had to replace the cap a couple of times during all this time. But it’s been near 15 years I think now, lining intact and all. It’s got a bunch of dents from falling on hikes, sometimes down from pretty high cliffs, but I feel it only adds to its attitude sort of.

Not sure if I’d go for a Sigg today, I have stainless steel in my sights if this one ever proves ready for retirement, but Id definitely choose one that has either replaceable seals and seals sold as spare parts, or at least sells new caps as spare parts. And I’d for sure go with something similarly robust that can handle drops and getting banged around.

The cap design on the Sigg is pretty unbeatable though. It’s so natural for a finger when opening or closing and keeping the cap while drinking, but it also fits all sizes of carabiners or similar, so it’s just so handy to keep around on house but especially on hikes. I’m spoiled thanks to that, so I think there’s a high standard for whatever I’d choose next.

But I can really recommend the aluminum Sigg traveler. Today it has a lot more actually enticing competition, but it’s a classic choice at least around here in Northern Europe.

Edit: Worth noting; Siggs prior to 2008 had BPA in the lining. Mine has a yellow tint in the lining, which is the telltale sign of the BPA-free, safe one. Today, only the aluminium bottles are manufactured in Switzerland, the others are in China (which I think has been thanks to some brand-leeching Chinese acquisition at some point)

Edit2: I also have a lot of old military surplus water bottles from around Europe (similar form factor) simply because both my few-days-bag and longer hiking rig have MOLLE all over the surface, and the old ALICE (us standard from I think around 1970) and MOLLE (or similar, today almost everything in terms of military surplus has something that fits into it) pouches for the water bottles of that certain shape can be had for extremely cheap, and they are so robust in keeping them in place thanks both to the bottle shape and the MOLLE in general, and it’s so flexible.

I mostly use these to carry extra water as plan B but especially for boiling for food or coffee etc. all of them have a certain funky smell that never disappears, but I’ve tested them all by keeping plain water in them for a week or more, then pouring out and seeing how it looks to naked eye, and how it tastes. The smell on some of them can get into the water a little bit, but all taste normal and so far I’ve not got any problems from using them. I would assume the military of all institutions would take care to make these things valid for long term and active use, since, you know, water is pretty much the main driving force in ensuring troops can keep going. But because of the smell I tend not to go for them as the main bottle, ever.

I had one that had little domes to form the threads and it cleaned easier.