lifestyle

There’s another reason you shouldn’t be reusing disposable water bottles.

Here’s a fun fact: disposable water bottles are meant to be just that – disposable. If you keep refilling them, then you could be exposing yourself to harmful bacteria.

While making an effort to stay hydrated is always a good thing, some water bottles are better than others. Most people know about the dangers of drinking from a bottle made from BPA plastic – namely that the breakdown of the plastic can cause cancer, obesity, heart problems and liver disease. (You can read more about that here.)

But what many people don’t know is that disposable water bottles come with their own set of risks.

“While making an effort to stay hydrated is always a good thing, some water bottles are better than others.”

Disposable bottles always end up with visible wear and tear. They take a battering throughout the day. They’re squashed in our handbags, they roll under the passenger seat of the car and you know, some of us have the hulk-like instinct to crush them with one hand after use. This visible wear and tear may seem harmless enough but it provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which can harbour in cracks and scratches, posing a heath risk to drinkers.

According to The Huffington Post, refilling your disposable water bottle with more water will not safeguard it against bacteria. Apparently, most bottles become contaminated when their owners don’t wash their hands properly.

So, what do we actually do about all this?

“This visible wear and tear may seem harmless enough but it provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which can harbour in cracks and scratches, posing a heath risk to drinkers.”

Switch bottles. Ditch the disposables.

We’re all busy and we all get thirsty. At some point, you’re going to have to buy a disposable plastic bottle while you’re out and about. That’s a given. However, it’s better to invest in a more suitable bottle for the long term.

The best bottles are ones made from stainless steel or glass. They’re easy to clean, they don’t provide a breeding ground for bacteria and they won’t leak chemicals into your water.

Don’t let this information deter you from staying hydrated. Guzzling down water is still good for you, however, exposing yourself to bacteria is not.

What kind of water bottle do you use?

Here are some more things you should be cleaning/buying anew, but probably aren’t…