How Often Should You Clean Your Owala Water Bottle?

With the popularity of reusable water bottles comes the inevitable debate about which brand does it best. Some remain loyal to Hydroflask or Stanley, while others firmly stan Owala brand tumblers with their patented FreeSip lids. These patented lids are designed to create an airtight, leakproof seal when closed while allowing the user to sip through a straw or tilt the bottle for bigger mouthfuls. The only downside to these cool, convenient features is that they require a lot of moving parts, leaving many wondering how to clean their Owala water bottle and how frequently they should do so.

According to the Owala FAQ page, if your tumbler goes everywhere you go on a daily basis, it's recommended that you clean your reusable water bottle once per day, especially if you frequently use it for coffee or add flavor and hydration packets to your water. Anything other than plain water can contain particles that could build up more quickly than grime and bacteria from water alone. However, even if you only ever drink plain water from your Owala, it's still important to wash all the various nooks and crannies particular to these bottles once a week at minimum.

Having a regular washing schedule helps ensure your Owala remains squeaky clean, preventing it from developing weird smells or enough bacteria buildup to potentially make you sick. Hand-washing everything in hot, soapy water is recommended for deep cleaning, but you can also place certain parts in the dishwasher in a pinch.

The most important part of cleaning your Owala bottle thoroughly is making sure to disassemble it completely. Since each model is a little different, Owala helpfully provides cleaning videos on its website for its most popular styles, which includes tips and tricks for disassembling and reassembling them. These videos demonstrate how to wash your tumbler by hand, though all Owala Freestyle lids and straws are safe to wash in the top rack of your dishwasher, as are tumblers made from Eastman Tritan plastic. However, stainless steel models must be washed by hand to avoid scuffing the finish.

If your bottle is particularly grimy, Owala also sells EcoBrite cleaning tablets that fizz up when mixed with hot water, releasing gentle but powerful cleaning agents like citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. You can also easily make your own four-ingredient water bottle cleaning tablets for a fraction of the cost. Both versions help remove stains and lingering odors inside your bottle, so you can go from sipping a vanilla caramel iced latte to fresh, crisp water without any lingering aftertaste.

Since some Owala models are somewhat narrow, it may also be a good idea to keep a designated dome-shaped bottle cleaning brush on hand for reaching every corner of the interior. The same goes for the straw — the dishwasher might remove the bulk of the grime, but you need to swab the inside with the right scrubbing tool to truly get it clean inside and out.