Give the bottle a good visual inspection to make sure it isn’t discolored, cracked, or damaged. Wash your hands thoroughly with a safe water supply to control the presence of bacteria. Then carefully clean the bottle and use a bottle brush to scrub the bottle with hot soapy water. Rinse and air dry. Avoid sharing bottles where the contents come in contact with your hands or mouth to allow bacteria to pass through. If necessary, label the bottles for easy identification. Keep the container away from the sun and away from heat. I’m not sure the hot water tap would cause problems. Limit reuse to a few times and send the bottle off for recycling.
A better option would be to use reuse water bottles. Stainless steel containers are high on the list, and you can find some double-walled containers to help keep the internal temperature up. There are also reusable plastic bottles. Many reusable devices have larger openings to make cleaning easier between uses. The best thing to do when choosing a plastic bottle is to check that it doesn’t contain BPA (bisphenol A), an industrial chemical that has been linked to several health problems. The FDA has banned the use of BPA in containers for babies and children.
Send questions to: On Nutrition, Ed Blonz, c / o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to question@blonz.com.
