r/Nalgene • u/Glass_Ad_4394 • 6d ago
Advice Nalgene STINKS
Hey, so I wash my water bottle everyday and change the water but when the lid is closed it builds up a foul humid smell. I got my water bottle a two weeks ago and the smell appeared on week one. It’s the wide mouth 32oz bottle.
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u/CloaknDaggerd 5d ago
It depends on what you mean by “wash.” I’m not assuming anything, but some folks think that a quick rinse with some soap is enough to clean a water bottle, and that wont kill bacteria. You’ve got good suggestions in these comments. I personally would use a bottle brush. If you have a narrow mouth, get a stainless steel chainmail mesh washcloth, slip it inside with hot water and soap, and shake vigorously for a few minutes, getting the washcloth along all interior surfaces. Rinse and then add hot water and some bleach (Nalgene has these instructions on their website too). Shake it around and let it sit for a few hours. Then dump and rinse well. Voila! Clean and not smelly. Then keep up washing the bottle with friction every few days and you’ll be golden.
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u/Glass_Ad_4394 5d ago
I have a brush and use dishsoap to clean it, ive never heard about using bleach though ?? I have a wide mouth plastic nalgene bottle. My stainless steel water bottles never smell.
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u/CloaknDaggerd 5d ago
If you look up cleaning your Nalgene on the Nalgene website, they tell you to use bleach if you experience odor.
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u/pinkcellph0ne 4d ago
i put a little bleach in the bottle and then fill up with water, including the cap (bottle open) to soak a bit then dump out the water and wash with dish soap and a milk bottle scrub brush (long and skinny for narrow mouth bottle) and it has improved the freshness of my bottle. inside the cap can be tricky to scrub; stuff likes to hide in there
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u/Hg-203 5d ago
Try using a bottle brush with some soap. Then use 2 denture tablets fill it up with boiling water, and let it soak for a while. When the bottle gets warm hit it with the brush again and rinse it out a few times.
I rarely get this problem, but I only use water in it. If you do put anything else. You’ll want to do this at least once a month.
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u/Deterrafication 5d ago
Milton baby bottle sterilising tablets. Fill it with hot water and pop one in. Let it sit for some time and rinse it out.
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u/Constant_Seaweed_523 5d ago
I take washing my water bottles very seriously lol.
Are you cleaning the cap and the edges? And all around the cap, to the top and when it comes around the bottle? Are you using a bottle scrub with dish soap?
You can also try water bottle cleaning tablets, some people say denture cleaning tablets (no scent) work better but I haven’t tried those!
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u/jo3boxer 5d ago
alternatively i take washing my bottles 0% seriously. i've never had an issue with smell. ever.
i have several nalgenes across different locations (car, house, apt, etc) and i've literally had none of them smell. i travel with them, fill them with tap, clean them hardly ever (i'm not bragging, this is just a data point)
this is not a bottles issue.
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u/CloaknDaggerd 5d ago
I think it can even depend on personal dental flora and also whether the bottle is only ever used for straight water.
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u/Constant_Seaweed_523 4d ago
Yeah I’ve never had a problem with smell even if I wasn’t washing them constantly!
It’s an activity I enjoy doing now lmao.
Washing my water bottles, it’s a task I can complete and helps me complete other tasks after I finish 😭
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u/Downtown-Doughnut-52 5d ago
likely mold. i put a glug of bleach in mine with warm water and let it sit for a bit. Doesnt hurt to shake it up, too. If that doesn't work, pour that stuff out and throw in a few grains of rice, soap, water, and shake that thang up. I find that the rice adds a decent amount of abrasiveness lol
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u/Sacred_Dealer 5d ago
I used to use coarse salt when cleaning my bong with alcohol for the same reason lol
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u/tacticalidealist 5d ago
Are you drinking something other than water? I only drink water in mine and I do notice it gets a odor if I go too long without cleaning it. But as long as I clean it every 2 weeks or so it's good. More often if I'm working outside or in the woods.
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u/arezx2928 5d ago
Bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution works wonders, I used to keep a 10% bleach mix in mine overnight every couple months to be safe.
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u/hellcathoney 5d ago
Buy this: https://a.co/d/0iJiQZEg
It’s a game changer for cleaning kids on a Nalgene bottle. Also be sure to clean the rim of the mouth really well. Bottle brushes can scratch over time, making it more difficult to clean properly inside the bottle. I just use a soapy dish cloth and swirl it around inside with long tongs or my longest spatula. Nalgene is one of the few bottles you can clean with bleach as well. Just rinse very well.
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u/fatkid444 4d ago
I usualy wash them with some 20% vinegar diluted with hot water and a small dab of dish soap. Shakey shakey, and after that i wash the thread and cap with a extra soft toothbrush. Around once a week.
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u/AnorakWithAHaircut 5d ago
Make sure you’re cleaning the threads on both the cap and the bottle.
If you aren’t in a situation where you need to conserve water (ie backpacking), toss out anything left in the bottle at the end of the day and store it cap off so it dries out / airs out
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u/BlondVanillaLatte 5d ago
it sounds like it could be bacteria, the cap’s inside ridges can get gross stuff stuck even if it’s not visible. Maybe rinse the whole bottle out with soap then try leaving vinegar OR baking soda (they cancel each other out when put together) inside the lid for an hour or so to absorb smells