We've all been there — we take a sip from our water bottle, and it tastes a little … off. And then maybe we unscrew the lid, and what we see inside looks less than sanitary.
Luckily, TikToker LauradeBarra (@lauradebarra) has a hack to keep our water bottles squeaky clean, and it's ridiculously easy.
@lauradebarra How to deep clean your water bottle in a way thsts non toxic #ecoclean #ecocleaning #stanleycup #waterbottle #waterbottlecleaning #kitchencleaning #washing #washingup #bottle #stanley #stanleyclean #cleaninghack #gaffgoddess ♬ original sound - LauradeBarra
The scoop
As explained in her video detailing the hack, Laura pours a little bit of clean, uncooked rice into the bottom of an empty water bottle about once a week. Then, she adds a bit of cold water and liquid soap and begins to shake the bottle back and forth.
"That will literally scrape off the dirt inside," she says, adding that it's important to get the base of the bottle in particular, as a lot of dirt will be lifted from there.
After working the rice around inside the bottle — the dirtier the bottle, the longer it should take — she pours it into the sink and rinses it out with warm water.
How it's helping
As Laura points out, water bottle sponges can leak microplastics into your bottle, which isn't good for you, and down the drain, which isn't good for the environment. Using just a small amount of rice instead of a plastic tool is one of many ways to cut down the 40 million tons of municipal plastic waste thrown away each year in America.
According to Our World in Data, 1 to 2 million tons of plastic enter the world's oceans yearly. When plastic waste is not recycled, incinerated, or kept in a sealed landfill, it becomes an environmental pollutant.
Luckily, there are cheap alternatives to all kinds of popular cleaning products. Many, like rice, we already have lying around our homes. These alternatives can both save money and reduce plastic usage. They are also just as effective and often safer.
One woman uses baking soda, water, and vinegar to clean her greasy stovetop, while another TikToker uses a toothbrush to remove dirt from hard-to-reach places. Ways to get creative with how we clean are bountiful — and the next time we take a sip of water, our taste buds will be thankful.
What everyone's saying
TikTokers raced to the comments to shout their praises for the hack. Others offered alternatives, including purchasing an eco-friendly bottle brush to avoid food waste.
"Mind. Blown," one user commented.
"Instead of rice you can use salt," another said. "I use soap, salt and vinegar."
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