Can You Put Camelbak in the Dishwasher?
Whether you mean the Camelbak water bottles or the Camelbak bladder for a hydration pack, some are dishwasher safe and some are not. You should always wash your new plastic bottle, stainless steel bottle, glass bottle or water bladder before its first use. After that, ensure you rinse it out with fresh water after each use but once or twice a month, you do need to do a proper deeper cleaning.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Can my water bottle go in the dishwasher?
What to use to handwash
Cleaning the hydration bladder
Can my water bottle can go in the dishwasher?
A Camelbak bottle without painted designs is dishwasher safe, but keep it in the top rack of the dishwasher. Glass water bottles are also dishwasher safe, but if the cap is wood, leave that part out for handwashing.
Water bottle caps, including those with the magnetic top, and straws, like those for the Camelbak Eddy Kids’ bottles, are also safe in the top rack of your dishwasher. Often you can wash the caps even if the cup/bottle part is not dishwasher safe. If the lid has a removal rubber gasket, that can be put in the silverware tray to prevent any grime buildup.
Water bottles often have a mark on the bottom which indicates if it is dishwasher safe. Look for a square with a cup and fork icon inside, a square with a wine glass and water droplets inside, a plate or several dishes with water droplets or dotted lines above.
https://www.maytag.com/blog/kitchen/dishwasher-safe-and-tableware-symbols.html
What water bottles can not go in the dishwasher?
Ordinary bike bottles can not withstand the high water temperatures in the dishwasher. This leads them to become deformed or degrade faster. It’s not practical to constantly recycle and repurchase a new plastic water bottle. In a family, that adds up if every member of the house has one.
Generally, insulated, powder coated or painted stainless-steel water bottles are not dishwasher safe.
With insulated bottles like Camelbak’s Podium Chill and other Podium series bottles, the heat of the dishwasher can damage the seals, allowing air in which compromises its ability to keep hot liquids hot or cold liquids cold. You don’t want a leaking cap.
Aluminum bottles are not dishwasher safe because the protective material on the liner will break down in the dishwasher.
Make sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions as to whether your water bottle is dishwasher safe. Despite being powder-coated, Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState is dishwasher-safe.
It’s also good to check if there is a warranty page on the manufacturer’s website. Camelbak got your bak offers a lifetime guarantee, but other brands terms will vary.
What can I use to hand-clean water bottles or a hydration bladder that can’t go in the dishwasher?
There are several ways to hand wash and sanitize these containers. These will all be combined with hot water and mild dish soap.
- Reservoir cleaning tablets. You can buy Camelbak cleaning tabs, but other eco-friendly cleaning tablets will work as well.
- Baking soda. For this all-purpose cleaning solution, mix 1/4 cup baking soda in ¾ cup of water per litre of volume in the water bottle or bladder.
- Household bleach. For a bleach solution that will kill viruses and bacteria, use 2-5 drops of unscented household bleach per litre of water. You can combine bleach and baking soda for more thorough cleaning
- Lemon juice. To neutralize odors, use ¼ cup per litre of water. You can combine the lemon juice with baking soda and/or bleach, but lemon juice and soda will fizz.
- Denture tablets. This is an inexpensive option you might already have in your house. Take the minimalist option you have instead of buying another thing.
How do I hand wash my hydration bladder?
The first step is to mix up your cleaning solution and add it to your hydration pack.
With a bladder, fill the bladder with hot water and your cleaning tablet or cleaning solution, seal and shake up. Squeeze the one-piece bite valve to drain a bit into the sink which will fill the tube with cleaning solution. Set aside and let it soak. Tablets will take 5 to 6 minutes while household cleaning solutions will need 20 minutes.
If your reservoir has been forgotten and has visible mold, it will need a deeper clean and disinfect. You can go as high as one tablespoon of bleach per litre of warm water and leave overnight. Rinse well with cold water.
Drain the bladder and refill it with warm soapy water. Scrub with a brush to remove all traces of cleaning solution from the little grooves and tight spots. A knotted cord longer than the tubes can be inserted into the tubes and pulled through to scrub them out.
Thoroughly rinse and air dry in a non-humid location. (A bathroom is not ideal as you don’t want it to mold.) It’s a good idea to hang it upside-down to drip dry. Stuff with a paper towel/a towel or use a clothes hanger to hold it in the open position.
Do I have to hand wash my water bottle?
This is the easy way to get your bottle clean. It’s the quickest option if you have a bottle brush. You can use the same cleaning solutions as listed for the hydration reservoirs.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, use a clean glass jar or bowl to soak the lids and straws. Use a brush to ensure you get it clean.
Hand washing is a good way to protect the printed design of water bottles and the fun designs that made you pick this bottle. If the design looks cloudy or smeared and it doesn’t come off with washing, the print may have been damaged by sunscreen.
Is it okay to leave water in my Camelbak or other hydration pack?
It happens. You come home tired, drop the hydration pack beside your shoes at the door and forget about it until the next day. If it’s just straight water, it’s okay for 3 to 5 days. If it’s got an electrolyte solution or sports drinks like Gatorade, you’ll want to drain and rinse it sooner. Don’t risk mold in your hydration bladder. Yuck!
Wash your water bottles and hydration reservoirs.
A reusable bottle is great to ensure you can stay hydrated on the go and, for an athlete, a hydration pack with its larger capacity can be a necessary accessory to keep up. Rinsed with plain water after each use and washed with hot water and cleaner occasionally, your water bottles will last a long time. The easiest solution is to either have all hand washed bottles or all bottles that are dishwasher-safe. That will ensure they don’t get mixed up.
Whether you wash your Camelbak water bottle or bladder in the dishwasher or by hand, it’s a great idea to regularly wash them to keep the bacteria load down. Stay hydrated my friends!
