Though using the bathroom is tempting because you don’t mind a few drips there, it’s best to find a non-humid, out-of-the-way location for drying. Some hangers have a tube clip you can also drape the tube over a clothes hanger or a horizontal bar. Hang your tube and set the bite valve aside.Place your reservoir on its hanger, or set it upright to dry.Disassemble all pieces (tube, reservoir and bite valve).This is easier if you remove the bite valve, which you can scrub separately. Scrub the interior of the bladder then scrub the interior of the tube.

Fill the bladder and tube again, this time with a mixture of warm water and a little dish soap.Step Two: Wash with Dish Soap, then Rinse If you have reservoir-cleaning tablets, the instructions typically call for it to sit for five minutes if you're using a mixture of household ingredients, wait about 20 minutes. This ensures the entire reservoir system is in contact with the cleaning solution. Lift the reservoir up, letting the tube drape into the sink then pinch open the bite valve until you see water flowing out of it.Fill the bladder with warm water (not so hot that it can scald you), add a cleaning tablet (or your home cleaning ingredients), seal it up and shake it.Then, you’ll wash with dish soap to help remove all residue of the cleaning solution. First, you mix and add the cleaning solution to neutralize nasties throughout the system. Paper towels: Stuff the reservoir with enough to hold it wide open.Ĭleaning and Scrubbing a Hydration Bladder.Kitchen whisk: Slip it inside to hold the bladder wide open.Reservoir hanger: Most will fit any bladder, but a few are only compatible with certain reservoir models.It’s preferable to hang or place the bladder upside down so water can drip out. The key is to keep the bladder fully open to allow air to circulate.

Simply pull the cord and knot through the tube a few times during the scrubbing process.

A knotted cord: The cord has to be longer than your drinking tube and the knot should be large enough to fit snugly inside it.

Kitchen scrubbing pad or scrub brush: You probably already have these at home, but they may not get to all the hard-to-reach places.

Cleaning brushes for reservoir and drinking tube: These can help you get into all the nooks and crannies more successfully.

Denture-cleaning tablets: Though not specifically made for a hydration system, these are used by some people as inexpensive alternative cleaning tablets.

It can also be combined with bleach and/or baking soda, but you need to point the reservoir opening away from you because lemon juice and baking soda produce a fizzy reaction. Platypus recommends using ¼ cup of lemon juice per liter of water.

Lemon juice: helps neutralize really strong odors.

Note that you can combine bleach and baking soda together for a more thorough cleaning. Platypus recommends using 2 to 5 drops of unscented household bleach per liter of water.

Household bleach: kills bacteria and viruses.

Platypus recommends ¼ cup of baking soda in ¾ cups of water per liter of volume in your reservoir.

Baking soda: an all-around cleaner that’s effective against odors.

Just pop in a tablet specifically formulated to remove deposits that can build up in your hydration system over time.

Reservoir cleaning tablets: no measuring needed.

You’ll need a mild dish soap, plus any of the following cleaning solutions:

Platypus 1 liter bladder