It is an essential accessory to stay hydrated.
But black mold can be lurking in your reusable water bottle if you don’t clean it properly.
Besides being just incredibly gross, it can also be very bad for your health.
Experts say that inhaling or touching mold spores can trigger allergic reactions — with symptoms such as sneezing, red eyes and skin rashes, as well as asthma attacks.
It comes after a mother revealed last week that her daughter had become unwell due to mold growing in her water bottle.
TikTok user @anahitasethi shared her moldy water bottle (pictured) with the caption, ‘Isn’t enough to wash a water bottle every two weeks, I’m confused and scarred’
And @zeeeeeeeraaaa shared that she wondered why she was sick all the time before showing the mold on her water bottle
@bobbibillard posted a rice, baking soda, and vinegar cleaning hack and shared her mold-covered plastic water bottle
Researchers behind US-based waterfilterguru.com conducted one of the grittiest studies on the bugs that still linger in our water bottles. The study examined how colony-forming units (CFUs) were located in four popular types of water bottles. This is a unit commonly used to estimate the concentration of bacteria in a test sample. On average, they contain 20.8 million CFUs of gram-negative bacteria
Mold is a form of mold that thrives in moist conditions.
This means that a constantly wet water bottle with little to no airflow is the perfect breeding ground.
And mold, of which there are 100,000 unique species, continues to grow until it’s washed, so it’s important to keep your water bottle clean.
Some species are harmless while others are poisonous.
And black mold, commonly found in water bottles, is one of the most potent.
Dr. Ross Perry, a GP at Chartfield Surgery in Putney, said taking a few sips from a moldy water bottle is unlikely to do any harm, but warned of the dangers of doing so regularly.
He said, “If you drink from a water bottle with black mold on it, you will get sick if you swallow it. It can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting and generally make you feel unwell.
Other health problems may include sneezing, nasal congestion, dry, peeling skin, cough, itchy nose, eyes and/or throat
“Continuing to drink from a bottle of black mold will weaken even the strongest immune system.”
But for people with asthma, allergies or a weakened immune system, drinking from a bottle full of mold can be even more dangerous.
‘For individuals with respiratory problems such as asthma, this is also likely to make your symptoms worse alongside other potentially nasty infections,’ added Dr Perry, who is also the founder of skin clinic Cosmedics.
And while there are several methods for cleaning the mold, Dr. Perry recommends throwing the bottle away if the mold is visible.
He also suggested opting for plain bottles in light colors, as he says it can be difficult to spot mold if a bottle is patterned or dark in color.
And the warmer the weather, the more likely you are to find mold.
Jason Tetro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Files, said mold needs “a nice, warm environment to grow, which is over 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15C).”
There are many ways to clean your water bottle, with different tablets or home remedies to choose from.
TikTok user @miseenplace_au shares videos on how to remove mold from water bottles (Pictured is one she showed during a TV demonstration)
Another TikTok tutorial from @miseenplace_au shows her using rice, dish soap and water to remove mold from a water bottle
A user @healthsafetyfam tried what he called the ‘q-tip challenge’ – where you drag a cotton swab along a crack in a water bottle to test how much mold there is
Mold is a form of mold that thrives in moist conditions. This means that a constantly wet water bottle with little to no airflow is the perfect breeding ground
And a TikToker @fleximami shared a video from a radio show testing a $200 water bottle for mold. She puts her finger around the top and then wipes the mold on a piece of paper
Some people suggest soaking the bottle overnight in white wine vinegar and water, while others opt for cleaning tablets like Milton.
It comes after a mother claimed last week that a moldy water bottle had made her child unwell.
Post on one British Facebook groupToni claimed that her daughter’s AirUp bottle — which makes water taste like watermelon and Coke — had black mold in the crevices of the lid.
In the post, titled AirUp Bottles, she wrote, “Guys, I’m a real fan of the concept of these bottles, but please check your lids.
“We wash ours thoroughly every day with soap and water.
“Yet one of our five bottles has traces of black mold residue in the crevices of the lids.”
She went on to write, “I noticed after my little girl had been saying she felt bad for ages.”
In response, an AirUp spokesperson said: ‘Our drinking system, while innovative, still needs to be cleaned regularly – just like any other reusable drinking container.
“To clean our bottles, including the lid, we recommend using a small brush with water and a mild detergent – it helps get to those hard-to-reach places.”