Do you dry the interior of your Platypus? How?

Del, there was a thread on this awhile back (I'm too lazy to link back to it). The Idester suggested using a cheap aquarium pump and some tubing. I tried it, and it really works well.

I just stick the handle off a wooden spoon in it to prop it open. Then I let it air dry.

Works for me

Ben

Following a tip I read here once I just freeze mine btw uses. No need to dry them out, no mildew.

For the bladders, I loosely wad up a few paper towels to keep it open, and then I hang it up in the kitchen, opening side down.

I use a cheap aquarium pump and some tubing. The moving air quickly dries them.

I freeze mine sometimes, and occasionally just put a little bleach in there with some water and shake, then rinse them out, blow them up, and let them stand upside down at an angle against the backsplash on my kitchen counter overnight with a paper towel under them.
When they're seeing weekly use, they usually just get rinsed with filtered tap water and refilled.

This tip came from a friend of mine and it works for me.

(1) I drain it with the opening down until water stops dripping out (say overnight).

(2) Then I put it in a sunny window with the top up and let the warmth of the sun dry it until the next trip.

drain well, place on dashboard while at work. boom, dry

del

I just bend a wire hanger. I bend the wires together so that they will fit in the opening, then bend the entire hanger into an "L" shape, so that will stand upright.

Ive never worried about it.

Am I doing something wrong???

C'mon Delmar, all those fancy shop tools and no air compressor? Blow dry 'em ;)

Haven't dried my camelbak bladder in 8 years. Haven't died yet.

Also read a tip on here several years back about freezing and have never looked back. This is especially useful if you use tubes.

When heading out just give a rinse with warm or lukewarm water, suck any thawed frost out of the tube (spit out in the sink), and give it a full fill with water.

When coming back home just empty any water still in there, suck any remaining water out of the tube, and toss in the freezer. Too easy.

I jam a clean kitchen towel inside of it and let that sit overnight. Usually does the trick.

Thanks all! Many ways to solve this problem.

Glenn > C'mon Delmar, all those fancy shop tools and no air compressor? Blow dry 'em ;)

I could inflate them like inner tubes — Kapow!

I prop mine open with a piece of bent coat hanger and then hang it upside down so it will fully drain and air dry.

I use this
http://www.bluedesert.co.il/
and put the tube in the freezer.

After I've washed it I put a paper towel in it, blow it full of air, put a cap on it, and then shake it to get as much water on the paper towel as possible. I've found that it then air-dries in a day and I can put it away in my bin.

For the hose I take off the mouthpiece and step out on my deck and swing it around in the air to get as much water out of the tube and then hang it overnight to let it dry as well.

Similar to the aquarium pump idea, I already own an electric air pump designed for blowing up pool toys and such, I attach tubing to it and into the bladder.

In the past I've propped the bladder open best I could and placed it leaning against the front of a box fan.

If you use drinkable alcohol (Everclear), then you can swish some of that around, drink the remnant, and the remaining alcohol will evaporate faster than water.

Just don't get into the habit of doing this too often! ;-)

"Ive never worried about it.

Am I doing something wrong???"

I never have either – if/when they get funky (which is every other year maybe) they get an overnight bleach treatment followed by an overnight baking soda treatment

I cant' imagine plugging in an aquarium pump or other method to do this. You guys are handy. I hang mine upside down in my sunny kitchen window, and 24 hours later it's dry as a bone. Have done this for more than a decade with never one moldy/musty bladder. Easy peasy, right? I must be missing something.

"For the hose I take off the mouthpiece and step out on my deck and swing it around in the air to get as much water out of the tube and then hang it overnight to let it dry as well."

That's the same method I use to dry my GFs pet cat after a bath.