How do you clean your Camelback?

Eyon

Looking for some good advice to stop the mold taking over.

Just using baby sterilising tablets at the moment and flushing it out a lot. I read some people put them in the freezer?

Do you clean them after every use or after ever few?

All i use it for is drinking tap water. no flavoured drinks or the like. Would bottled water be a better bet to keep it clean?

Thanks
Ian

angry_bird

I never ever ever clean mine, it makes the water taste better

altern_8

i normally clean mine after every ride,i just rinse it out with clean water,making sure i blow through the bite valve to try to get as much water out of tube as i can,then i just close it up and blow through bite valve again to inflate it,and leave it till next ride,if i have a bit of mould in it,i use the baby tablets,works for me.

kenan

Take out freezer, fill with water, use, put back in freezer – repeat

Works for me

cooldad

Freezer.

Andy!

mold adds taste

:shock:

Mate of mine waits until the pipe goes black with the stuff before he cleans his. I admit I am bad at cleaning mine out and I usually give it a swill and draw through with Milton quickly while getting ready to head out. I always use tap water and it should have chlorine in which should help I guess?

kaytronika

Mines in the freezer... Next to a box of fish fingers.
I'll get back to you if that adds to the taste.

Neily03

Keep mine in the freezer too. Had bad stomachs on rides in the past from not keeping it clean, keeping it in the freezer stops it.

BlueAdvocate

Steradent after each ride; re-use what I left my teeth in the previous night.

Chris`I

Mine goes in the freezer too, then flush it out before using it. Never had any problems.

SteveInJapan

Running boiling water through my Platys seems to do the job. Disinfects and helps get things dry quicker after. I have considered setting up an old PC fan with some tubes to help dry them quicker, but right now just either hang them on a clothes line or on a towel rod in the kitchen.

welshkev

kenan wrote:

Take out freezer, fill with water, use, put back in freezer – repeat

Works for me

the same. never had a problem that way

t0pc4t

only ever put water in, keep in the freezer when not in use, occasionally soak in milton

paulbox

I leave mine in its pack, in the garage and just give it a rinse before refilling, very occasionally I soak it in Milton, couldn't tell you the last time I did though...

I only ever use tap water, I imagine energy drinks need to be cleaned out properly.

matty_boy76

You can get a pipe cleaner like tool thingy to clean the gunk out of the tube, but really +1 for freezer and milton/steradent aftert every couple of rides.

Thewaylander

throw in dirty washing wait for mold to develop.

Stir and drink. the Way coctail tastey.

Just give a rinse and hang it normally, giving a prooper wash with some bacterial gunk 1 month(or two)

j_l

t0pc4t wrote:

only ever put water in, keep in the freezer when not in use, occasionally soak in milton

+1

Daz555

Water only.

Fill - use - rinse - freeze. Repeat.

rhext

Only ever use water. Rinse it as soon as I get in, remove the bite valve, turn the bladder inside out (a bit fiddly, but perfectly possible) and leave over a warm radiator to dry out completely. I don't use it very often, and suspect that this would not be practical if you used it frequently as it takes a while to dry properly. And if it never gets properly dry then mould will form!

alexj2233

I rarely clean mine, it hasn't even come out of the bag for over a month, i just keep topping it up.

When i do clean it i just use miltons baby stuff.

Stevo_666

Never clean mine and never had to. Always used tap water, just pour it out after each ride, drink the bit that's left in the tube and hang the bladder thingy upside down with the screw top off until next time.

I have two and have never had a problem.

Zaim

I drip dry it on the washing line after a ride. I've got one of the Camelbak cleaning kits that I've used many a time to clean the mildew from the tube...yuk!

RoughChuckles

Water only (well occasional energy mix for enduro races) hanging to dry plus periodic Milton cleaning.

Have also used the freezer technique but you have to be careful of leaving water to freeze near the valve end as it tends to leave you with a leaky bite valve after a while.

I left it once for ages and had to clean out the pipe of mold spots using a degreased brake cable with cotton wool wrapped around the end!

Paul 8v

kenan wrote:

Take out freezer, fill with water, use, put back in freezer – repeat

Works for me

same as this but I do rinse it out before and after use

Northwind

I got the cleaning kit because I could see wee flecky bits of evil growing in the tube. I always thought I was fine not washing it, just rinsing and drying, but after I put the pipecleaner through it and saw how much black crap came out despite not really looking dirty, I changed my mind. Urgh.

ratty2k

I use PSP22 in mine, and all I do is use it, whatever is left at the end of a ride stays in, and bung it in the freezer. Make up new drink prior to the ride, let bladder thaw out over night and refill.

kenan

I use one of these: http://www.source-hydration.co.uk/acatalog/info_9.html

You take to top off to fill with water and can get inside to clean (never needed to). Also there is a push clip connector for the hose to pop on and off real easy. My camelbac from my new HAWG has never even been used as the source is such a good unit.

Tim.s

Freezer +1

Occasional wash through with Milton, ive got one of those pipe cleaner things, think ive used it once.

Mickey Eye

Freezer. Except not right now, Oh god it's been on my bedroom floor for a week and a half. And I think there might be a banana in there too!