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Cleaning water bladders with denture cleaner?


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Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Cleaning water bladders with denture cleaner?

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Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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  • #1301616
    Zorg Zumo
    Member

    @burnnotice

    "Official" cleaning tabs aren't readily available. Folks on another forum suggested using denture cleaning tablets – anyone have experience with this?

    #1976339
    Harris Goldstein
    Member

    @hmgolds

    Locale: Minnesota

    My favorite cleaner is called "Chlorinated Pipeline Detergent" (http://www.stearnspkg.com/all_tek/260tek.pdf); it's intending for cleaning dairy tanks and equipment and sold in "farm" stores. A very dilute solution with hot water works wonders. I use it for water bottles, beermaking equipment, coffee pots, tea-stained mugs, etc. Because of the phosphates, I try to keep it at the recommended dilutions.

    #1976364
    Mobile Calculator
    Spectator

    @mobile-calculator

    #1976392
    Eric Blumensaadt
    BPL Member

    @danepacker

    Locale: Mojave Desert

    Tried it just once. The aftertaste and smell put me off it for good.

    Now I just use diluted Clorox bleach.

    #1976445
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    I use diluted chlorine bleach, too, let it sit in the water containers for a couple of hours, then rinse thoroughly and hang them to dry (upside down over my spare bathroom's heating vent, which is right under the towel rack). I let them dry for several days, or longer if the heat isn't on (it usually is when the containers go into winter storage).

    I do have denture cleaner in the house, but use it only for my denture.

    #1976466
    rowan !
    Member

    @romonster

    Locale: SF Bay Area

    I'm wondering why you guys use bleach or denture cleaner. Is there something I'm missing here? I just scrub all the parts of my hydration bladder with soap and water, just as I do with dishes, and it works great.

    #1976931
    Randy Amos
    Spectator

    @randyamos

    Locale: Indiana

    My son likes to add the Gatorade flavor packets to a camelbak bladder. I typically add 1 or 2 tablets of generic denture cleaner fill it with warm water and let it sit for 30 or 45 minutes when we get home. I then thoroughly rinse it out, let it dry on a hanger for a few days and store it in the freezer. It might be overkill and soap an water would be enough but i have never had issues with the bladders using this procedure. I have also never noticed a change in the flavor of the water after cleaning with the denture tabs.

    #1976937
    Mike In Socal
    BPL Member

    @rcmike

    Locale: California

    I've used denture cleaner to clean water bottles but mostly to get the gatorade odor out when necessary – otherwise a bottle brush and soap works fine. More importantly, I dry them with an aquarium pump so they are completely dry before I store them. I do the same with water filters – I connect the aquarium pump to the filter cartridge and let the air dry out the inside as much as possible after I have run a liter of water with diluted chlorine through it.

    #1977166
    Nick Larsen
    Member

    @stingray4540

    Locale: South Bay

    I'll second Rowan's question.
    Why do people find it so difficult to clean water bladders?

    I just use dishsoap and water like I would any of my dishes. Add soap, add water, swoosh it around a bit, let it sit for a minute or two to kill any bacteria, then rinse. Make sure soapy water flows through tube, and make sure the tube gets rinsed as well.

    If I'm just drinking water out of it, I don't even bother cleaning between uses, I just store them in the freezer.

    #1977254
    rowan !
    Member

    @romonster

    Locale: SF Bay Area

    Ah, if you keep strong-tasting drinks in your water bladder then I can understand needing something to remove the flavor from the plastic. I just keep water in mine so that didn't occur to me.

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