How often should you clean your water bottle?

Good question.

Jeff Wagner gets the dirty details and found out what happens if you don't clean it.

You'd think it was a school supply.

I carry it every day.

Given how many students at the University of Minnesota had a water bottle with them.

I go to like lunch dinner.

I bring this go to class or gym.

It's my go to water there's plastic or steel, sipper or straw function or style.

No matter the look, all eventually need a good rinse.

How often do you clean this thing?

Um, I would say probably every other week, maybe once a week.

Right now I clean it every three days.

A survey found that 62% of people clean their water bottles at least once a day.

The rest clean it a couple times a week or even month.

It's probably the last thing on people's mind at the end of the day.

Amy Johnston is a UMN Extension educator on food safety.

How often should we clean our water bottles?

Yeah, it is best to wash them daily.

That could be in the dishwasher or by hand with warm water and soap.

And that's just going to prevent any build up of bacteria.

Last year I didn't do that routine as much and then I found stuff in it and it's kind of gross me out.

I double their number.

Um, almost every 20 minutes touching the lid with dirty hands and rising temperatures can accelerate that growth.

So too can the type of liquid left behind a sugary drink or any kind of flavoring components.

Those sugars or those components can be food for bacteria.

If there are bacteria present, bacteria seem to love water bottles more than other dirty places.

Scientists swabbed common household surfaces for comparison.

It found that reusable water bottles had five times more bacteria on them than a computer mouse, 14 times more than a dog bowl and 40,000 times more than found on a toilet seat.

For sure, I think that you can get sick, especially for letting your friends take sips of your water bottles to which part of the bottle can be more concerning for bacteria growth.

All of those little nooks and crannies are where bacteria are going to want to straws, nozzles and sipping points need the most attention when cleaning so much that Johnston advises people do so by hand to ensure nothing's missed in a dishwasher.

I'm gonna study three days now with photojournalist Mike Durenberger, Jeff Wagner, WCCO News.

Johnston says to let your water bottle air dry completely after cleaning that will help prevent mold.