Thursday, September 6, 2018

Cleaning a Camelbak or Other Water Bottles, Straws and Tops - Getting Sharpie Off Outside




I use a water bottle every day. I take a drink in the car with me every time I leave the house. I have been through many water bottle in my life and take one when I ride bike and took one walking with me for years. 

Over time, I have tried many types of water bottles. My favorite for years was a Zyliss stainless steel water bottle that I could put ice in and took it everywhere and I loved that if I dropped it, it didn't break and I used it for years. 

One of my sweet daughters put some water in it and put it in the freezer trying to be thoughtful but the ice split the metal and broke the bottle. I got online to try and find one similar and they didn't have that style anymore and only had smaller sizes with more pastel / child colors. 

I bought many metal water bottles over time but they were all aluminum and had a weird taste and I didn't like the lids as they weren't self venting like the Zyliss ones and they didn't have the same feel like my steel one. I ended up getting rid of all the aluminum bottles.

After that, I purchased a double walled air insolated bottle with a straw. I didn't like that the straw would bounce up and down and the bottles were skinnier at the bottom and graduated up and the lid screwed on the entire top. I went through several of them but if they tipped, they would leak and I broke many dropping them as they would slip out of my hand with the condensation on the outside. I then found the bottle I use now. 


The one I have now, I have gone through maybe five of them. They have the double insulated walls and a fold down top. The lid isn't over the entire thing which I like and holds large amounts of drinks and the ice takes all day to melt. I really love that but the lid doesn't always stay on and more than a few times the lid falls off when I am holding it by the little handle on the lid so I always have to screw it on super tight to make sure that doesn't happen or drink ends up everywhere and I have broken more than one that way with me standing there holding the lid. :-)

I then found the metal / stainless steel insulated water bottles. I didn't know that Camelbak even made a metal water bottle or that they made insulated water bottles. I found two of them at a second hand store for $1.50 each. They are $30 each online.

One of them had Sharpie initials on it so I show in the video how to remove it. You can either use totally awesome cleaner and turpentine, which works well on the plastic bottles. If that doesn't take the Sharpies off the metal jar, you can use acetone fingernail polish remover. It cleaned it right up and took the Sharpie off. 

To clean out the straw and top, I use "Totally Awesome Cleaner" and let it sit and then I put twisted paper towels into the straw and nozzle and pull it through with cleaner on it after letting it soak first. I then run the paper towel sticks through each many times getting any dirt or mold out of them. I use a skewer with paper towel over it through the straw getting thicker and thicker and once the straw is clean, I put more cleaner through it and then use super hot water and then let it air dry for a day. I also put the tops and straws through the dishwasher as needed. 

The metal Camelbak bottles can't be put in the dishwasher so hot soapy water works on those. 

If you want to make a used water bottle look better, use can use a Sharpie to cover up the scratches on the bottles as a fill. Be careful when using fingernail polish remover as it will take off the name or any screen printing on the item. 

I am rather disappointed in the Camelbak "lifetime guarantee" as they state that "lifetime" is for the lifetime of the normal bottle materials and not for "your lifetime" so they give it a life value but also say that damage due to misuse, and a list of other causes aren't covered. On that same page, they have all the replacement parts for sale. 

I am not sure what the warranty is for as if you have an accident and it is damaged, it isn't covered and if you chew the top or the rubber inside it cracks, it is "life time of the product wear" and isn't covered. It basically only covers flaws in the original unit as you bought it like if it leaked when you first purchased it or the screw came out.... I wouldn't take the warranty into consideration when purchasing it as the warranty doesn't get you much as any product that doesn't work when you purchase it would be replaced by any company. 

I am excited to see how well the insulated metal water bottles work and how long the ice stays frozen and how well it will keep drinks cold. I also am interested in seeing how long it will keep drinks hot as it is stainless and insulated, it may hold hot drinks without the plastic straw as a Thermos would. Yea for great finds for cheap! 

Have a Blessed and Fluid Filled Day!

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