Refilling water bottle more dirty than licking toilet seat

While reusing water bottles is good for the environment, it may not be as good for us. Research has shown that recycled water bottles can contain more bacteria than a toilet seat.

For the study, water bottles of athletes were tested to see how high the bacteria count was per square centimeter bottle. The bottles had been used by the athletes for a week. The most contaminated bottle contained a whopping 900,000 colony-forming units per square centimeter – more than on the average toilet seat.

And there is more… According to the researchers, 60 percent of these bacteria were able to make the drinkers sick.

However, it is a problem that is easy to prevent: wash your water bottle with hot water and soap every day. When your water bottle starts to smell unfresh, you are late with cleaning. Most of us are guilty of holding on to a plastic bottle for longer than probably necessary. As it turns out that the containers you’re refilling contain so many germs you might as well lick your toilet, it’s time to start your daily reusable bottle cleaning.

 

[Source: Cosmopolitan]