You Probably Don't Clean This One Thing All That Often — And That's Okay! — Cleaning Tips from Kitchn

I am a person who likes to stay hydrated. I typically keep a big water bottle at my desk, a little one in my purse, and another big one in the car. If I see a water fountain, I take advantage and fill up whatever vessel I happen to have with me. Because heaven forbid I don't have access to water for five minutes.

And now that you know I'm willing to drink out of a public water fountain, I'll admit something else: I almost never clean those water bottles. I'll let that desk water bottle sit there for weeks before I notice the formerly clear glass is looking sort of … opaque, and then I'll get out my favorite bottle brush and be shocked and disgusted at how much cleaner it looks when I'm done.

In an effort to find out whether I'm poisoning myself, I reached out to Dr. Chuck Gerba, a professor of microbiology at University of Arizona. Turns out it's not so bad!

READ MORE »