Reusable Water Bottle Holds More Bacteria Than A Toilet Seat

New Study Finds That Reusable Water Bottles Hold More Bacteria Than A Toilet Seat

A new study has delivered a disturbing finding about everyone’s favourite comfort crutch, the humble drink bottle.

The chokehold so-called “emotional support water bottles” have on society cannot be understated: the trend emerged during lockdown, and has since garnered hundreds of millions of views on TikTok.

“They are objects that can’t betray us,” Australian Catholic University clinical psychologist and hoarding disorder expert, Associate Professor Keong Yap, told The Sydney Morning Herald, comparing the phenomenon with objects children use to soothe anxiety (like stuffed toys). “They are reliable and predictable, unlike people who can hurt us.”

 

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Turns out they can, however, “betray” you – if you don’t clean them regularly.

A recent study from US-based waterfilterguru.com found reusable bottles can harbor 40,000 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat – describing them as being like a “portable Petri dish.” Researchers swabbed parts of different water bottle three times each – including the spout lid, straw lid and squeeze-top lid – and found two types of bacteria present: Gram-negative rods and bacillus Gram-negative bacteria can cause infections that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics – while certain types of bacillus can result in gastrointestinal issues.

Comparing the cleanliness of the bottles to household objects also painted a dirty picture: they contain twice as germs as the kitchen sink; can harbor four times the amount of bacteria as a computer mouse; and 14 times more than a pet’s drinking bowl.

“The human mouth is home to a large number and range of different bacteria,” Imperial College London molecular microbiologist, Dr. Andrew Edwards, said.