Camelback Cleaning

[Johnny_Boy]

Hi All,

I've been using my camelback for sometime now. Unfortunately, I left it uncleaned and it now has a terrible taste.

Does anyone know of a way to get a foul taste out of one. Would lemon water work or something along those lines? Or is the only way to clean it throughly is to invest in a cleaning kit from Camelback?

Thanks for you future help.

JohnnyBoy

 

[widebmw]

Fill it with water, put about 1 teaspoon of clorox (chlorine bleach without additives) in then cap it and shake it. let it sit for a few hours.
Rince it out a couple of times later then wipe it out and let it dry.
When you use it just use water. If you use other stuff like juce or energy drinks they will feed mold growth.

 

[MOTOR31]

Make sure you run some of the clorox mixture through the drinking tube and mouth piece as well. Letting it set for about 2 to 4 hours should be plenty.

 

[Roy.Jackson55@aol.com]

Hi All,

I've been using my camelback for sometime now. Unfortunately, I left it uncleaned and it now has a terrible taste.

Does anyone know of a way to get a foul taste out of one. Would lemon water work or something along those lines? Or is the only way to clean it throughly is to invest in a cleaning kit from Camelback?

Thanks for you future help.

JohnnyBoy

Camelback sell's a cleaning kit that works pretty good. Just did mine before the RA rally and it came out fine. My older camelback was in worse shape. Even after cleaning it, it was not so good. So I just purchased a new reservoir. Cheaper than purchasing a new camelback. Also changed out the mouth piece to one that I could shut off when not in use. Hope this helps.

 

[nytrashman]

i just used the camelback cleaning kit and it seems to have work quite well.

 

[johns3]

Been mountain biking since the eighties. Have used CamelBaks for racing all along.

The newer reservoirs have a very big opening, large enough to get your hand inside for cleaning.

Their cleaning kit is great for maintenance, especially the brush that goes into the tube, along with soap and very hot water.

Check out the CamelBak website

http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm

Oh yeah, "bite valves" really collect that black crap in the corners. Cheap to buy- keep a couple extras on hand.

 

[RIDERR1150GSADV]

Clean the bag with bleach and above all when you are done using the 'back, let it DRY out by keeping the lid off. Mold/mildew will only form when there is no air circulation. My camelback is 5 years old and I have no issues with bad tasting water as I let it dry out by using that coathanger gizmo as well...YMMV

 

[RTRandy]

I hang the reservoir bag up every night using the two piece Camelbak hanger and bag opener plus pull the bite tube off. Always completely dry by morning. I only use water and ice in mine to avoid after tastes or growing stuff inside.

Highly recommend the two piece kit which can packs easily inside the outside pouch. Would never leave home without these.

 

[lionlady]

Fill it with water, put about 1 teaspoon of clorox (chlorine bleach without additives) in then cap it and shake it. let it sit for a few hours.
Rince it out a couple of times later then wipe it out and let it dry.
When you use it just use water. If you use other stuff like juce or energy drinks they will feed mold growth.

Chlorine/Clorox is poisonous. I'd suggest you use peroxide (sold as liquid "non-chlorine bleach") it's a 'green' laundry product. The bottle should have instructions for sanitizing/deodorizing stuff. The laundry product is stronger than the peroxide you buy in the first aid aisle of Rite Aid, etc. It wont leave that pool-water taste behind, either.

P

 

[saber]

I fill mine up with water and 2 Polident tablets.

 

[belquar]

The camelback cleaning kit is not very expensive and works very well. I recommend that.

Before I got mine, I tried boiling the tube and mouthpiece and what not. Not the resevoir itself. Ruined the o-ring in the valve. Ended up replacing and buying the cleaning kit.

 

[Artiee]

I've always poured in a bottle of Listerine Mouthwash, swished it around and let it sit over night. The next day, I run tap water through it a couple of times. I finish off by stuffing wadded up paper towels inside to soak up mosture and let it air dry with the top open.

 

[KPINVT]

I fill mine up with water and 2 Polident tablets.

I do the same. I put 4 cheap store brand denture cleansing tablets in and let it soak for a few hours. I run the mixture out through the tube by pressing my forearm on top on the bag while it sits next to the kitchen sink. Make sure you pull the bite valve off and wash it with soap and water.

 

[jgarrard3ATL]

Camel Bak Cleaning

Camelback sell's a cleaning kit that works pretty good. Just did mine before the RA rally and it came out fine. My older camelback was in worse shape. Even after cleaning it, it was not so good. So I just purchased a new reservoir. Cheaper than purchasing a new camelback. Also changed out the mouth piece to one that I could shut off when not in use. Hope this helps.

I think either suggestion, Chlorox or the Camel Bak cleaner pack--which contains tabletized bleach--works well. I have the full cleaning kit, admittedly a bit pricey, but you can also buy the cleaning/bleach tablets, by themselves, at a sporting goods store without the cleaning kit. They are about $9 a pack and are more easily portable than Chlorox.

Generally, I will clean my CB each time after use and use the bleach tablets if I have had something other than water in it or if I have let the water sit for a while.

Either way, be sure that you always pull whatever cleaning solution you use through the tube and mouth piece.

BTW: Water can also contain bacteria if it is unfiltered or left to sit too long in the res. I take mine directly from the tap when travelling so I still have to watch out for any bacteria and clean for it. Just in case.



-James

 

[Kev95gs]

Hot soapy water, swish it around, run through the tube and bite valve. Rinse thourghly and then use water and baking soda (not powder) to rinse again and run through the tube and valve.

The baking soda helps keep the odor and taste out.
Air dry.

Kevin

 

[karlfitt]

I buy the cheapest vodka I can, put a few ounces in and seal it up.
I then suck all the air out, fill the drink tube with the vodka and stop sucking when it gets to the bite valve.

I let is soak for a while.

Then open and dispose of said nasty vodka (What vodka isn't nasty?) and let it dry.

This trick was stolen from a bicycling web site.

 

[scqtt]

Store your bladder in the freezer. The funky stuff can't grow in there.

 

[dirtmerchant]

I put a BIG pair of kitchen tongs inside my Camelback to hold it open until it can dry.

 

[Bill Burke]

I used some high-test oral rinse that was prescribed after some dental surgery. My water is "flavored" sort of licorice now, but the fungus is gone.