YSK: many water bottles come with silicone gaskets that must be removed and washed to prevent mold and mildew buildup. - eviltoast

Dishwashers won’t clean these gaskets if they’re washed while installed. Oh, and those silicone straws can come out of the dishwasher nasty too.

  • edric@lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    I handwash silicone straws because I know no amount of automatic dishwashing will clean it.

      • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        They specifically make very special pipe cleaner-like cleaning instruments for these things. Often, the bottle may even come with it. Very handy

        Edit: this is the one I have

        Although I only ever drink water out of it, I do make sure to wash up the straw at least once a week.

        Thing is, that the straw plugs into a gasket on the bottom of the lid and is at least partly silicon all the way through to the spout. I make sure to run the cleaner brush thing through that very regularly as well. Sometimes several times a week just to make sure it’s always clean.

        • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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          1 month ago

          My wife was using her tumbler for just plain water. She would rinse and reuse each day. She got a stomach bug and I was getting her water and noticed the mold on the threads of the screw top. It was so hard to see since the lid was black too.

          Even if it’s just used for water, clean them thoroughly and regularly.

          • AJ1@lemmy.ca
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            1 month ago

            I sanitize my water bottles in the sun. After washing them I put them on a south-facing windowsill and let the UV light kill every last living microbe that might be lurking in the crannies. (it’s always the crannies that get you, the nooks are usually fine)

          • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Good advice. I may have oversimplified the care I take, but everyone should regularly keep clean any contained from which they eat or drink.

      • edric@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        Yup, the pack of straws I bought came with a tiny bottlebrush thingy like the other comment linked.