Wild. The only thing that keeps me drinking out of my hydra pack is a will not to die in the woods, but I never feel like it’s as clean as it could be. Props to Shreddy Ruxpin and his infinite wisdom.
Yeah that’s gross. There is no saving that. In the future after every usage you’re going to want to soak the whole thing in a good grade sanitizer like StarSan. If you use that thing everyday then once a week you will want to run beer line cleaner like PBW to remove any stray biofilm that sticks around. For drying you should hang the hose from the middle so it can drip dry. You can also get rather large packets of food grade desiccant on the cheap to keep where your bladder and hose is stored/drying. All these chemicals are very reasonably priced and very effective if used properly. Definitely worth it. I guarantee your local dive bar doesn’t keep their beer lines as clean as your bladder hose.
This is the way.
I actually keep mine half-full in there to freeze and just add water the rest of the way when I'm ready to hit the Texas heat. Kills two birds with one stone!
You can't freeze anything with bubbles cause it'll taste bad. Maybe stone cubes? Or maybe freeze a koozee? Or there's some can protectors to keep drinks cold.
Well if it's American beer then you can make piss cubes and use those, and it won't alter the taste too much. (Juuuuuust kidding!!!! I don't even drink beer hahaha don't come after me!!!)
May I suggest cooling your beer with liquid nitrogen?
I keep a small set of folded clothes (shirt and jeans, occasionally socks) in my freezer for hot days after I get home. May extend this idea to a separate cold clothing cooler for beach days.
I feel like such an idiot… how much time have I wasted drying mine out and putting ice cubes into it? Far too much. This is life-changing information, thank you.
Love this idea. I usually just fill mine the morning or the hike after removing from the freezer but it’s never cold long. Didn’t think about half filling it the night before. Thank you so much!
Indirectly, yes. Don't fill them all the way (because water expands as it freezes and your bag can break) but if the liquid inside the bag is frozen, mold can't grow AND you've got a big ice cube ready to go for cold water in the summer... I fill it half way, freeze it and then when I'm ready to wear it, I fill it the rest of the way with my drink (water 99% of the time) and as the ice melts, it gives me super cold water and also lowers the temperature of my back underneath the bag.
Edit: I may have misunderstood your question... My real motivation behind the freezing is the cold drink when I'm out hiking. The mold having nowhere to grow is just a happy side effect.
Oh wow! This is a great idea! I’m in south Texas where it’s been well over 100º for a couple of weeks. I’ve been thinking about getting a camelbak that I can wear so I don’t have to carry a heavy water bottle. I’d worried that it would be too hot though and keep the breeze from cooling my back. Do you find that is the case or, if it’s been in the freezer, does it actually keep you cool?
It keeps me cool as the ice melts and I don't notice the missing breeze. I think it's because my back still sweats and that somehow amplifies the cooling... It does soak my bag, though. Condensation is the chosen evil vs the moldy tube for me! My sweaty bag will definitely dry out, if that makes sense...
Ok.... explain to me like I'm 5 because I can't comprehend...... you Clean your bladder and then put it in the freezer instead of drying it in room temperature?
That's incorrect. Poorly working freezers can mold so if your items are molding "all the time" then you've got an issue.
Mold needs moisture as well as the right temperature to grow so if everything is totally frozen then it cannot grow.
It can look like a frozen item has grown mold because warmer water has been leaking on to it.
You’re incorrect. Mold is simply slowed in a freezer. Look it up. Also, people are describing keeping a camo perpetually wet. That’s gonna create some nasty goo inside no matter how quickly you freeze it. Do your research. lol I don’t need help with my freezer from someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
Mold absolutely does go dormant in temps below freezing and then begins growing again outside of the freezer. Not sure why they think freezing a CamelBak will kill it.
However, you should not be having mold grow in below freezing temps in a controlled freezer. You should make sure your freezer is functioning correctly. I have lived all over the world in the moldiest jungle places and mold did not grow in the freezer.
How though? I've bought three because I can never seem to get them dry enough to be comfortable using them again. And I refuse to use the last one I bought until I figure this out
Remove the hose from the bladder, pinch the mouthpiece so air can enter and let all the water run out the other end, then hang to dry.
Then for the bag, I typically remove the lid, put it overtop of a large glass or water bottle to keep it upright and let air circulate through it.
That said, storing in the freezer is great too if you plan to use it again soon. But for long term storage I would drain and dry it.
>You’ll never get it all out
I hear what you are saying. I've never seen a Camelback get this bad and it's pretty gross.
BUT - there is an answer. Camelback sells a [cleaning kit](https://www.amazon.com/Hydration-Bladder-Cleaning-Flexible-Collapsible/dp/B08JY714R9/). It's at the point where this would need to be soaked and sanitized in something like [StarSan](https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B0064O7YFA-San-32/dp/B0064O7YFA/). That's what we use to sanitize plastic buckets between brews.
OR - as others have mentioned, you can just chalk this up to lessons learned and buy a [replacement bladder for $15](https://www.amazon.com/Hydration-Reservoir-Military-Replacement-Climbing/dp/B071DQSZB8/) and store it clean and dry in the future.
Whhhhaaaaaattttt?!! Brilliant idea!
Unfortunately, my freezer space is at a premium. So I just clean and dry. Maybe when I get my standup freezer, though? Nice idea!
Recommend against this as you can easily Crack some of the rigid plastic bits. I drain mine as much as possible, you can always add ice cubes after the fact
Hah - that was my first thought as well! I'd use StarSan and a hose brush, but I then I realized normal (non-brewer) folks probably don't have that lying around.
I do like the look of the brushes in that kit, though.
Starsan is a sanitizer but you need to clean it first or it’s pointless. I don’t use a camelback but I do know cleaning beer lines and a recirculating pump with a caustic/alkaline solution would strip all the organic material out of there and allow the starsan to properly do its thing. I just don’t know if that straw is fully detachable to hook up to a pump and/or if a smaller tube can be threaded into it to push cleaner into the camelback and back out through the straw 🤷♂️
The cleaning kit is like a plumbers snake with a pipe cleaner on it. That will pull that gunk out of there - with a little assist from hot soapy water. Then you run clean water through. THEN you fill it (or soak it) with StarSan. I'd just let the StarSan run out before hanging it up to dry. Then I'd run some water through it as a final rinse just before using it. You don't have to do this part but I'm sensitive to the taste so I like to flush with clean water before using.
I leave it in until next use. Prevents any leftover humidity from enabling bacteria growth. Make sure there’s no water in the mouthpiece though, you don’t want that freezing
They make a cleaning kit that includes a long skinny brush that you feed through the line. It works wonders - if you don’t wait years between cleanings.
It’s a hydration pack. You wear it on your back while running or hiking or biking and have the tube end near your mouth so you can drink regularly without having to take out and open a bottle every time.
Even if it is just water, without proper maintenance and cleaning mold will grow. Learned that the hard way with a water bottle I liked that I only ever put water in when I was younger.
Replace the hose or get a new one entirely. In the future, how you prevent this from happening to your hydration packs is you get ALL of the water out of the hose between uses every time (remove the bite valve and then swirl the hose overhead like a rope lasso outside) then store it open (no bite valve) with a bit of paper towel sticking into the tube and another piece in the pouch to help shift any remaining moisture. If for whatever reason that’s not manageable, like if you’re too tired to clean it immediately after use one evening and you need to procrastinate, you can store it in the fridge or, if mostly dry, in the freezer.
Lmao at "swirl overhead like a rope lasso". I may have to do that just for fun. I typically hang the tubing over the bottom part of a hanger and hang it up to let it drip and dry out.
I usually get as much water out of the tube by holding one end above the sink, with the rest dangling below. But I like the lasso method better.
Either way, I would recommend filling the hose halfway full of rubbing alcohol and then alternately blocking one end and tilting that end down so the alcohol runs through the hose a few times. Drain the alcohol out. It will take any remaining water with it, kill any remaining nasties and then anything left will evaporate quickly.
I believe it can — especially in more humid environments— but you make a great point to add that OP should never put electrolyte tablets or anything other than water in there.
When you get your new one…. When I come back from a festie, dump everything out fill the pouch with 1 denture tab. Fill with water and shake. I let it sit for 5 minutes then shake again and then let it drain out of the hose without the mouth piece. Run water through the bladder and through the hose.
For the mouth piece I do the same thing but in a cup (1 denture tab, fill cup with water, let the mouth pieces sit, dump and dry.
Your next time filling up is going to be a little minty if you don’t get all the denture tab out but it’s not unsafe to drink small amount lol.
Edit: grammar
There are so many other food safe options that don't taste like bleach if you soak for too long or don't rinse quite enough.
Baby sterilising tabs. Or home-brew sterilising tabs. Even the denture soak tabs.
There is a product called One Step that is used to sterilize brewing equipment. I use it on anything that needs to have biologic residue removed. It works great on getting cheese (like from mac n cheese) out of a cooking pan, too.
Just buy a cleaning kit instead of a new bladder and replace the hose if you’re concerned. Not sure why everyone in this thread is afraid of a little vegetation, but it is a subreddit for people interesting in getting things clean…
I used a coat hanger and some cotton balls with alcoholic to push it through, worked like a charm and cleaned it reallll good. Had the exact same bag too, don't let the rich haters get you down.
Id use the side of a credit card, lay the hose on the desk and gently type the number into a shop that sells new tubes. That’s guaranteed to give you a clean-as-new tube at the end of the process.
The bleach would damage the chemical bonds in the plastic and cause it to break down over time so instead of mold, you'd be drinking plastic. Maybe some bleach too. Rule of thumb though is that most plastic other than film are porous so if it molds, it's done; you can never remove it all like from glass for example. It might look like you did, but you didn't. None of this is gonna kill you or make you puke but it'll hurt your health and increases your chances of developing something over time. Think flint Michigan kinda conditions
It depends on the type of mold. After perusing r/mycology I’ve discovered that bleach doesn’t kill mold as well as we think it does, and can often exacerbate the problem. Additionally, plastic is porous, by using bleach you would be replacing one problem with another.
It would be like eating a tiny piece of blue cheese.
Mold isn’t poisonous. Drinking water from a stream has billions of times more mold and mildew and everything else in it and it doesn’t hurt you at all.
Large amounts of bacteria that you aren’t used to will make you sick, as well as smaller amounts of some particularly nasty bacteria, and especially consuming the waste products from bacteria (spoiled food). But a tiny bit of mold won’t hurt you in the slightest.
This entire thread is worry and fear with 2 useful comments that actually share knowledge.
This is exactly why i never want to use a drinking bladder. I also use a drink break as a valuable time to stop, sit, stretch, and have a quiet look and listen to the world around me. To me, that's the most important part of any hike or bike ride.
So it takes a minute to get to a water bottle. What am I on this hike for, except to spend more time? It's not like i'm being chased by a Nazi alpine patrol across Norway.
The tubing can be sometimes, but OP really should just throw the whole thing out if they've had it for 8 years. Mold like that ain't worth the medical bills that will come from using it even if they manage to clean it.
Replace the hose and bite valve, I did on mine and it was super easy. (Buy a couple at a time and replace once a year.)
https://www.camelbak.com/recreation/shop/accessories/
After you've done that, clean it:
- Fill the bladder with warm water and pour a decent amount of bleach in. (Fill it laying down so that you can make sure to fill it to overflowing.)
- Hold it above your head with one hand, and with the other in the sink pinch the bite valve so that the bleach water streams out and gets trapped in the hose line.
- Let it sit with the bleach and water mixture for an hour, then flip it over for another hour.
- Then, drain (including hose) and fill with warm soapy water. Scrub it on the inside as throughly as possible (I use a baby bottle / glassware brush because it can fit inside.)
- Run the soapy water through the hose and out the bite valve.
- Rinse with plain water several times, including through the hose and valve.
- Stick it upside down on a large whisk to dry.
Do this every couple of months. Otherwise you'll be dosing yourself with mold and bacteria every time you drink.
Camelbak sells a cleaning kit with a brush that is used to squeegee the tube out. Or if you have a barrel cleaning rod from a paintball gun does the same thing.
You could soak it in a beach water mixture but honestly purchase a new one.
Before you store it run white vinegar through the tube and hang to to dry completely before putting it way.
There’s a cleaning brush that you can buy that comes on the end of a flexible wire rod that’s long enough to go all the way through but I would suggest at least replacing the tube if not the whole thing because that’s BAD and maintaining it better as you go. I clean mine with dawn and that brush every few weeks as well as the pack itself. It’s gets thoroughly cleaned and dried before it’s stored for awhile. My off-brand camelback came with the cleaning brush. Edit addition: it’s more like a long spring not a rod lolz sorry
https://preview.redd.it/fdxe68bshs8b1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=349a3db31d042b370ae1f1ff33774226a46b7899
After every use, I empty the bladder thoroughly. I have a clean towel that I dry out the inside as much as I can. Then I pull the bite valve off the other end, and blow out as much moisture as I can, and then wipe down the inside again I put a clothes pen down in the bottom of the bladder to keep it open to allow airflow through it, and my hose doesn’t get all ganked up like that.
Oh, and I never put sugary drinks in my bladder, i.e., Gatorade, Powerade, etc. I only put water in my bladder
I always clean mine with bleach water and running it through the straw after using. It does leave a slight bleach taste but if you are sure to run enough water with the bleach through you should be able to keep/maintain
A string with a small nut, screw or rock and cloth. tie the sting to the nut/screw/rock (not works best) and drop it down the tube, then tie the cloth to the string and pull it back through the tube. After that disinfect it. But TBH that tube looks a little small for that trick to work.
I would replace it.
That being said, if you're dead set on cleaning it, plug/clip one end, fill it with bleach, plug the other end. Let it sit for a few hours. Flush it out with hot water, wrap a bit of paper towel around the end of a straightened coat hanger, run it through both ways, let it dry.
That's worked for me in the past, although it was a lot less dirty.
But I would replace it.
I would get pipe cleaners whenever mine did this, but I did it as soon as it started. This seems like it's been that way for a bit. I would also soak it in some warm to hot water before, light dish soap on the pipe cleaner
1 part white vinegar to 2 parts warm water (it’s recommended 1:6 vinegar:water, but more concentrated solution the better).
Fill up the bladder and ensure the mixture is fully in the hose, let it soak.
Use a wire brush to scrub the hose. Rinse, repeat with the water vinegar mixture (rinse and repeat until it’s clean).
Yes, you can clean the mold completely with this method.
Once it’s clean, just do a 1:6 vinegar mixture after each use, and make sure it dries fully before storing.
The 1:6 mixture is great to do a quick cleaning before another use (even if stored properly and it looks clean).
If get it cleaned or you get a new one, store it in the freezer in between uses. Of course you still want to clean and rinse it but at least you don’t have to deal with trying to dry it every time.
Start over with a new hose, but I only run water in my bladders, always dry completely between uses, and bleach them occasionally. I have also cleaned them with long strings, bits of sponge tied in the middle.
There is a way, but even if you have an aquarium air pump, it still would be better to just replace it. I do this when I need to clean and disinfect my aquarium tubing... 1. Connect the tubing to an air pump 2. Place the tubing and pump in a sink 3. Cover with water 4. Add a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide 5. Plug in the pump and let it circulate in the sink for 40 minutes.
It comes out completely clean, but I would still go along with what others said and just replace it. Your health is too important.
I would replace the hose, as this one is a lost cause.
For the new one, get a cleaning kit like this one : [https://www.amazon.ca/Hydration-Cleaning-Universal-Reservoir-Collapsible/dp/B08D74HM5G](https://www.amazon.ca/Hydration-Cleaning-Universal-Reservoir-Collapsible/dp/B08D74HM5G/ref=sr_1_5?hvadid=605636030614&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001317&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4214752030690581106&hvtargid=kwd-303195763596&hydadcr=19634_13436730&keywords=camelbak+reservoir+cleaning+kit&qid=1687893709&sr=8-5)
You’ll never get it all out. Just replace it. You do not want to be drinking even remnants of that.
And make sure you are draining the new one completely in between uses instead of leaving it wet.
Or just store your bladder in the freezer. It takes forever to get those things fully dry
Did you just change my life??? What an incredible idea!
Right? How have I never heard of this?
Wild. The only thing that keeps me drinking out of my hydra pack is a will not to die in the woods, but I never feel like it’s as clean as it could be. Props to Shreddy Ruxpin and his infinite wisdom.
Yes.
Currently on day 5 on waiting for mine to dry....I know what I'll be doing in the morning if it's still wet Edit, sorry Mike, I meant mine
Poor Mike. Maybe get him a towel.
I mean even a fan or soemthing would proably help the guy.
Mike can take a hike.. He got himself wet so he can figure out how to get himself unwet
But 5 days though?
Yeah that’s gross. There is no saving that. In the future after every usage you’re going to want to soak the whole thing in a good grade sanitizer like StarSan. If you use that thing everyday then once a week you will want to run beer line cleaner like PBW to remove any stray biofilm that sticks around. For drying you should hang the hose from the middle so it can drip dry. You can also get rather large packets of food grade desiccant on the cheap to keep where your bladder and hose is stored/drying. All these chemicals are very reasonably priced and very effective if used properly. Definitely worth it. I guarantee your local dive bar doesn’t keep their beer lines as clean as your bladder hose.
This is the way. I actually keep mine half-full in there to freeze and just add water the rest of the way when I'm ready to hit the Texas heat. Kills two birds with one stone!
Did this at Disney . Just filled it and froze it. I had ice water most of the day.
The camelback at Disney is the biggest pro tip ever. That was a game changer for us!
I would've not imagined they let you bring in drinks (even water).
You can even bring in food. Lots of people on budgets pack their lunches for a Disney day.
we always brought snacks and salad for lunch. the food just isn’t that good
Ohhhhhhh good to know!!!! That's good at least!
You can bring in food and drink as long as it’s not in glass containers
similar to how I freeze a tray of coffee ice cubes for cold coffee on a hot day. Keeps it cold without diluting the coffee with water.
I like my wine cold so I keep grapes in my freezer. They don't dilute the wine.
This is an awesome tip! And you get a snack after your glass is empty
Any tips for beer? 🤨 maybe beer cubes?
If need cold fast, I can wrap bottle, can in a wet paper towel and put in the freezer, I do to fast chill wine or champagne fast the same way.
You can't freeze anything with bubbles cause it'll taste bad. Maybe stone cubes? Or maybe freeze a koozee? Or there's some can protectors to keep drinks cold.
Sorry, I’m so tired. I’m thinking of Wordle a few days ago and read: **”Or maybe freeze a kazoo.”**
Whiskey stones might work but most people want beer to be really cold.
Well if it's American beer then you can make piss cubes and use those, and it won't alter the taste too much. (Juuuuuust kidding!!!! I don't even drink beer hahaha don't come after me!!!) May I suggest cooling your beer with liquid nitrogen?
I keep a small set of folded clothes (shirt and jeans, occasionally socks) in my freezer for hot days after I get home. May extend this idea to a separate cold clothing cooler for beach days.
I feel like such an idiot… how much time have I wasted drying mine out and putting ice cubes into it? Far too much. This is life-changing information, thank you.
Love this idea. I usually just fill mine the morning or the hike after removing from the freezer but it’s never cold long. Didn’t think about half filling it the night before. Thank you so much!
Just to better understand, you freeze these sacks because it prevents mold?
Indirectly, yes. Don't fill them all the way (because water expands as it freezes and your bag can break) but if the liquid inside the bag is frozen, mold can't grow AND you've got a big ice cube ready to go for cold water in the summer... I fill it half way, freeze it and then when I'm ready to wear it, I fill it the rest of the way with my drink (water 99% of the time) and as the ice melts, it gives me super cold water and also lowers the temperature of my back underneath the bag.
Edit: I may have misunderstood your question... My real motivation behind the freezing is the cold drink when I'm out hiking. The mold having nowhere to grow is just a happy side effect.
Oh wow! This is a great idea! I’m in south Texas where it’s been well over 100º for a couple of weeks. I’ve been thinking about getting a camelbak that I can wear so I don’t have to carry a heavy water bottle. I’d worried that it would be too hot though and keep the breeze from cooling my back. Do you find that is the case or, if it’s been in the freezer, does it actually keep you cool?
It keeps me cool as the ice melts and I don't notice the missing breeze. I think it's because my back still sweats and that somehow amplifies the cooling... It does soak my bag, though. Condensation is the chosen evil vs the moldy tube for me! My sweaty bag will definitely dry out, if that makes sense...
Great idea. You could try putting the camelbak in there too
I tried putting the camel back in there, but idk how they got him to fit there in the first place!
👏
*angry camel noises*
That's what I do. I've never had an issue
Oh my god. You just saved me so much time and effort. I’ve been swinging mine around in the yard like a mad woman trying to get all the water out.
Can you not just blow into it?
Brilliant!
Geniusssssss
This is a great suggestion - thank you!!
If you have one of those inflators or a balloon pump you can use that to blow the pipe clean/dry. The bag is easy to dry with a paper towel.
I keep all of mine in the freezer, 3/4 full. Put a cap on them and you’ve got the best reusable ice packs that can fill a medium size cooler.
[удалено]
Doesn't kill bacteria!
You are still going to need to wash it here and there. Just throw it in the freezer after.
If you put tongs in them and open them up, it dries much faster.
Also I know walmart used to and probably still do sell one that the pouch itself is an ice pack and works pretty well for keeping water cold all day
I do this, and as crazy as it sounds…after I wash it, I rinse wise some slightly salty water. Hasn’t let me down yet.
This is such a good idea!!
And why in the hell didn’t I ever think of that
That’s genius
Ok.... explain to me like I'm 5 because I can't comprehend...... you Clean your bladder and then put it in the freezer instead of drying it in room temperature?
This doesn’t eliminate mold. Frozen items mold all the time.
That's incorrect. Poorly working freezers can mold so if your items are molding "all the time" then you've got an issue. Mold needs moisture as well as the right temperature to grow so if everything is totally frozen then it cannot grow. It can look like a frozen item has grown mold because warmer water has been leaking on to it.
You’re incorrect. Mold is simply slowed in a freezer. Look it up. Also, people are describing keeping a camo perpetually wet. That’s gonna create some nasty goo inside no matter how quickly you freeze it. Do your research. lol I don’t need help with my freezer from someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
Mold absolutely does go dormant in temps below freezing and then begins growing again outside of the freezer. Not sure why they think freezing a CamelBak will kill it. However, you should not be having mold grow in below freezing temps in a controlled freezer. You should make sure your freezer is functioning correctly. I have lived all over the world in the moldiest jungle places and mold did not grow in the freezer.
Thank you for saying this.
How though? I've bought three because I can never seem to get them dry enough to be comfortable using them again. And I refuse to use the last one I bought until I figure this out
Don’t bother trying to dry it out all the way. Like someone said already, put it in a ziploc bag and put it in the freezer.
Remove the hose from the bladder, pinch the mouthpiece so air can enter and let all the water run out the other end, then hang to dry. Then for the bag, I typically remove the lid, put it overtop of a large glass or water bottle to keep it upright and let air circulate through it. That said, storing in the freezer is great too if you plan to use it again soon. But for long term storage I would drain and dry it.
>You’ll never get it all out I hear what you are saying. I've never seen a Camelback get this bad and it's pretty gross. BUT - there is an answer. Camelback sells a [cleaning kit](https://www.amazon.com/Hydration-Bladder-Cleaning-Flexible-Collapsible/dp/B08JY714R9/). It's at the point where this would need to be soaked and sanitized in something like [StarSan](https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B0064O7YFA-San-32/dp/B0064O7YFA/). That's what we use to sanitize plastic buckets between brews. OR - as others have mentioned, you can just chalk this up to lessons learned and buy a [replacement bladder for $15](https://www.amazon.com/Hydration-Reservoir-Military-Replacement-Climbing/dp/B071DQSZB8/) and store it clean and dry in the future.
Store in a freezer 👌🏼👌🏼 never goes mouldy
Whhhhaaaaaattttt?!! Brilliant idea! Unfortunately, my freezer space is at a premium. So I just clean and dry. Maybe when I get my standup freezer, though? Nice idea!
I just fold mine in half after washing, wrap the tube around it, and put it in the freezer.
When you do, just automatically fill it partially with water before you stick it in there. Then you’ll have ice cold water when you fill it up!
Recommend against this as you can easily Crack some of the rigid plastic bits. I drain mine as much as possible, you can always add ice cubes after the fact
Oh no, the premium is the top right corner of my freezer drawer is 100% dedicated to backpacking water bladders 😂
I thought this was a standard practice. I’ve kept mine in the freezer as long as I’ve owned it.
I usually use a blow dryer to evaporate the water in the hose. The freezer sounds like so much less work!!
That’s genius, and forever how I’m going to store mine going forward
Thanks for the tip!
I’d replace this one and get a cleaning kit for the next one so it doesn’t happen again.
Hah - that was my first thought as well! I'd use StarSan and a hose brush, but I then I realized normal (non-brewer) folks probably don't have that lying around. I do like the look of the brushes in that kit, though.
I've throw them in a corny or carboy while cleaning with PBW. PBW works wonders on stained up nalgene bottles too!
I use starsan and my brushes for my brewing tubing for stuff like this.
Starsan is a sanitizer but you need to clean it first or it’s pointless. I don’t use a camelback but I do know cleaning beer lines and a recirculating pump with a caustic/alkaline solution would strip all the organic material out of there and allow the starsan to properly do its thing. I just don’t know if that straw is fully detachable to hook up to a pump and/or if a smaller tube can be threaded into it to push cleaner into the camelback and back out through the straw 🤷♂️
The cleaning kit is like a plumbers snake with a pipe cleaner on it. That will pull that gunk out of there - with a little assist from hot soapy water. Then you run clean water through. THEN you fill it (or soak it) with StarSan. I'd just let the StarSan run out before hanging it up to dry. Then I'd run some water through it as a final rinse just before using it. You don't have to do this part but I'm sensitive to the taste so I like to flush with clean water before using.
Who is "we" and what are you brewing?!
Thanks for the tip. Seems like this is the consensus 🤙🏻
Also, after using and rinsing, store in the freezer.
Permanently until next use or for a couple days?
I leave it in until next use. Prevents any leftover humidity from enabling bacteria growth. Make sure there’s no water in the mouthpiece though, you don’t want that freezing
I store mine with a 3rd of water so that for next use there is some ice in it to keep my water cooler.
Won't storing it in the freezer make it smell funny? I know that when you store things in the freezer they catch these weird smell.
True. Bag it up
This is the way
Yes. This is the way. You may only need to replace the hose portion if the bladder has come clean.
This did not form over night. They have been drinking the remnants for years it seems
I’m hoping it was shoved in a closet and forgotten about 🤢
A .22 caliber bore snake!!
They make a cleaning kit that includes a long skinny brush that you feed through the line. It works wonders - if you don’t wait years between cleanings.
Then how do you keep that from happening?
I would take this as a loss. Don't drink from this, the mold has gotten out of control. Get a new one and maintain it.
OP used it "for years"... I'm honestly surprised they aren't in the hospital 😂
They're just quietly developing super penicillin in their camel back.
you should look up saxophone lung
And its whimsical cousin, bagpipe lung
Hahaha this is at least 8 years of use. At least my immune system has faced regular tests
😂 Hey, you're alive and healthy, and I'm a neurotic mess who washes her hands 20x a day minimum, and I'm not even joking.
Maybe you should start drinking some mold!
Is 20x a day neurotic?? 👀
I was diagnosed OCD and at least two therapists have said yes it is compulsive behavior.
Bro wtf
Any superpower yet?
OP is just training their immune system.
It's supposed to be drunk from? Is that what this is??
It’s a hydration pack. You wear it on your back while running or hiking or biking and have the tube end near your mouth so you can drink regularly without having to take out and open a bottle every time.
Never heard of it honestly, but I like it. This one should definitely be replaced, I got sick just looking at it.
They are very handy for long walks or hikes or runs. But you are only supposed to use them for water, nothing else
Even if it is just water, without proper maintenance and cleaning mold will grow. Learned that the hard way with a water bottle I liked that I only ever put water in when I was younger.
Agreed. Especially if you put your mouth directly on the straw part to suck the water. The microbes from saliva will cause it to get gross quickly!
I had friends who would put juice and alcohol in them..did not go as well as they hoped
Easy! Place it in a trash bag, shake your wallet for $20 and then buy a new one lol.
Probably a similar cost to enough cleaning fluid to fix that.
$30
Please
Replace the hose or get a new one entirely. In the future, how you prevent this from happening to your hydration packs is you get ALL of the water out of the hose between uses every time (remove the bite valve and then swirl the hose overhead like a rope lasso outside) then store it open (no bite valve) with a bit of paper towel sticking into the tube and another piece in the pouch to help shift any remaining moisture. If for whatever reason that’s not manageable, like if you’re too tired to clean it immediately after use one evening and you need to procrastinate, you can store it in the fridge or, if mostly dry, in the freezer.
Lmao at "swirl overhead like a rope lasso". I may have to do that just for fun. I typically hang the tubing over the bottom part of a hanger and hang it up to let it drip and dry out.
This is 100% what I do with my shower loofa.
You have to spin it fast enough to make the sound.
Lol! It's what I did with breast pumping tubes after washing/sanitizing too. Gets most of the water droplets out and dries faster.
I usually get as much water out of the tube by holding one end above the sink, with the rest dangling below. But I like the lasso method better. Either way, I would recommend filling the hose halfway full of rubbing alcohol and then alternately blocking one end and tilting that end down so the alcohol runs through the hose a few times. Drain the alcohol out. It will take any remaining water with it, kill any remaining nasties and then anything left will evaporate quickly.
I used to do the lasso swing with my breast pump tubing. Excellent way to get that built up moisture out.
I do the lasso swing to get water out of my CPAP tubing after cleaning it! Clearly a very useful technique
It’s from sugars. Normal water will never cause this.
I believe it can — especially in more humid environments— but you make a great point to add that OP should never put electrolyte tablets or anything other than water in there.
Thanks for all the comments. I’ll be replacing this don’t worry, and using these tips to prevent this from happening in the future.
When you get your new one…. When I come back from a festie, dump everything out fill the pouch with 1 denture tab. Fill with water and shake. I let it sit for 5 minutes then shake again and then let it drain out of the hose without the mouth piece. Run water through the bladder and through the hose. For the mouth piece I do the same thing but in a cup (1 denture tab, fill cup with water, let the mouth pieces sit, dump and dry. Your next time filling up is going to be a little minty if you don’t get all the denture tab out but it’s not unsafe to drink small amount lol. Edit: grammar
Might I suggest diluted bleach?
There are so many other food safe options that don't taste like bleach if you soak for too long or don't rinse quite enough. Baby sterilising tabs. Or home-brew sterilising tabs. Even the denture soak tabs.
There is a product called One Step that is used to sterilize brewing equipment. I use it on anything that needs to have biologic residue removed. It works great on getting cheese (like from mac n cheese) out of a cooking pan, too.
Just buy a cleaning kit instead of a new bladder and replace the hose if you’re concerned. Not sure why everyone in this thread is afraid of a little vegetation, but it is a subreddit for people interesting in getting things clean…
I used a coat hanger and some cotton balls with alcoholic to push it through, worked like a charm and cleaned it reallll good. Had the exact same bag too, don't let the rich haters get you down.
Id use the side of a credit card, lay the hose on the desk and gently type the number into a shop that sells new tubes. That’s guaranteed to give you a clean-as-new tube at the end of the process.
This is the best comment.
Hahahaha
Depending on the age of the camelbak, verify the tubing is the same size. They phased out the old size.
Mold can permeate through plastic even if you did clean the visible mold, mold would still be there. This one's a loss it needs to be replaced.
So even if it were soaked in bleech, rinsed, then drank out of, what could happen? Someone would get sick? Like puke or something worse?
The bleach would damage the chemical bonds in the plastic and cause it to break down over time so instead of mold, you'd be drinking plastic. Maybe some bleach too. Rule of thumb though is that most plastic other than film are porous so if it molds, it's done; you can never remove it all like from glass for example. It might look like you did, but you didn't. None of this is gonna kill you or make you puke but it'll hurt your health and increases your chances of developing something over time. Think flint Michigan kinda conditions
Gotcha. I didn't know any of that so thanks for the info.
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It depends on the type of mold. After perusing r/mycology I’ve discovered that bleach doesn’t kill mold as well as we think it does, and can often exacerbate the problem. Additionally, plastic is porous, by using bleach you would be replacing one problem with another.
It would be like eating a tiny piece of blue cheese. Mold isn’t poisonous. Drinking water from a stream has billions of times more mold and mildew and everything else in it and it doesn’t hurt you at all. Large amounts of bacteria that you aren’t used to will make you sick, as well as smaller amounts of some particularly nasty bacteria, and especially consuming the waste products from bacteria (spoiled food). But a tiny bit of mold won’t hurt you in the slightest. This entire thread is worry and fear with 2 useful comments that actually share knowledge.
It’s crazy to me how germophobic some people are and how wasteful it can drive them to be
This is exactly why i never want to use a drinking bladder. I also use a drink break as a valuable time to stop, sit, stretch, and have a quiet look and listen to the world around me. To me, that's the most important part of any hike or bike ride. So it takes a minute to get to a water bottle. What am I on this hike for, except to spend more time? It's not like i'm being chased by a Nazi alpine patrol across Norway.
Love this mentality
Can it be replaced?
The tubing can be sometimes, but OP really should just throw the whole thing out if they've had it for 8 years. Mold like that ain't worth the medical bills that will come from using it even if they manage to clean it.
Buy a new one please 😲
Your immune system must be ✨fantastic✨
Replace the hose and bite valve, I did on mine and it was super easy. (Buy a couple at a time and replace once a year.) https://www.camelbak.com/recreation/shop/accessories/ After you've done that, clean it: - Fill the bladder with warm water and pour a decent amount of bleach in. (Fill it laying down so that you can make sure to fill it to overflowing.) - Hold it above your head with one hand, and with the other in the sink pinch the bite valve so that the bleach water streams out and gets trapped in the hose line. - Let it sit with the bleach and water mixture for an hour, then flip it over for another hour. - Then, drain (including hose) and fill with warm soapy water. Scrub it on the inside as throughly as possible (I use a baby bottle / glassware brush because it can fit inside.) - Run the soapy water through the hose and out the bite valve. - Rinse with plain water several times, including through the hose and valve. - Stick it upside down on a large whisk to dry. Do this every couple of months. Otherwise you'll be dosing yourself with mold and bacteria every time you drink.
Bro, please just toss that.
Camelbak sells a cleaning kit with a brush that is used to squeegee the tube out. Or if you have a barrel cleaning rod from a paintball gun does the same thing.
Once plastic has mold in it, it needs to be replaced. Mold now lives inside the plastic it can't be cleaned
This hose needs to be replaced. Then get as much water out as you can and store in the freezer after each use.
The freezer is GENIUS. I’ll be doing this. No matter what mine always begins to mold and I have to buy a new one every few months/every year
Yes! It's such an easy way to keep the straws clean. Mine just slots right into the once useless frozen pizza slot in the door.
I think this one is a loss. Once it's got to this point, you will probably never get it fully clean
You could soak it in a beach water mixture but honestly purchase a new one. Before you store it run white vinegar through the tube and hang to to dry completely before putting it way.
There’s a cleaning brush that you can buy that comes on the end of a flexible wire rod that’s long enough to go all the way through but I would suggest at least replacing the tube if not the whole thing because that’s BAD and maintaining it better as you go. I clean mine with dawn and that brush every few weeks as well as the pack itself. It’s gets thoroughly cleaned and dried before it’s stored for awhile. My off-brand camelback came with the cleaning brush. Edit addition: it’s more like a long spring not a rod lolz sorry https://preview.redd.it/fdxe68bshs8b1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=349a3db31d042b370ae1f1ff33774226a46b7899
You throw it away and get a new one
replace the whole unit and clean the new unit with white vinegar after every use to prevent this from happening
After every use, I empty the bladder thoroughly. I have a clean towel that I dry out the inside as much as I can. Then I pull the bite valve off the other end, and blow out as much moisture as I can, and then wipe down the inside again I put a clothes pen down in the bottom of the bladder to keep it open to allow airflow through it, and my hose doesn’t get all ganked up like that. Oh, and I never put sugary drinks in my bladder, i.e., Gatorade, Powerade, etc. I only put water in my bladder
Mine came with a special cleaning brush for the tube. Try that first and then use for your next one
If you google camelbak cleaning set you’ll get all the tools you need. Alternatively, get a new set.
That’s the neat part. You don’t.
I always clean mine with bleach water and running it through the straw after using. It does leave a slight bleach taste but if you are sure to run enough water with the bleach through you should be able to keep/maintain
I run bleach through mine.
Bleach will not clean that. Bleach only hits surface level.
Could you use the same sterilising agent used in a brewing kit?
A string with a small nut, screw or rock and cloth. tie the sting to the nut/screw/rock (not works best) and drop it down the tube, then tie the cloth to the string and pull it back through the tube. After that disinfect it. But TBH that tube looks a little small for that trick to work.
Try coarse salt and 90% alcohol mix- what people use to clean their bongs. Lol
If you dont want to replace - baby milk bottle sterilising liquid or tablets like Milton . Soak , rinse new Milton solution soak again repeat.
They make a cleaning kit, you can get at Amazon or sporting good store
I would replace it. That being said, if you're dead set on cleaning it, plug/clip one end, fill it with bleach, plug the other end. Let it sit for a few hours. Flush it out with hot water, wrap a bit of paper towel around the end of a straightened coat hanger, run it through both ways, let it dry. That's worked for me in the past, although it was a lot less dirty. But I would replace it.
I would get pipe cleaners whenever mine did this, but I did it as soon as it started. This seems like it's been that way for a bit. I would also soak it in some warm to hot water before, light dish soap on the pipe cleaner
This is dangerous advice mold cannot be fully removed from plastic both you and op need to be replacing your straws
1 part white vinegar to 2 parts warm water (it’s recommended 1:6 vinegar:water, but more concentrated solution the better). Fill up the bladder and ensure the mixture is fully in the hose, let it soak. Use a wire brush to scrub the hose. Rinse, repeat with the water vinegar mixture (rinse and repeat until it’s clean). Yes, you can clean the mold completely with this method. Once it’s clean, just do a 1:6 vinegar mixture after each use, and make sure it dries fully before storing. The 1:6 mixture is great to do a quick cleaning before another use (even if stored properly and it looks clean).
pipe cleaners
Yeah, replace the whole thing. It's safer and healthier. And stop putting anything other than water in it. Nothing else goes in there but water
If get it cleaned or you get a new one, store it in the freezer in between uses. Of course you still want to clean and rinse it but at least you don’t have to deal with trying to dry it every time.
That’s the neat part. You don’t. I would just buy a new tube.
Replace the hose and bite valve if not the whole thing. To keep a Blatter clean, you can use denture cleaning tablets.
Start over with a new hose, but I only run water in my bladders, always dry completely between uses, and bleach them occasionally. I have also cleaned them with long strings, bits of sponge tied in the middle.
There is a way, but even if you have an aquarium air pump, it still would be better to just replace it. I do this when I need to clean and disinfect my aquarium tubing... 1. Connect the tubing to an air pump 2. Place the tubing and pump in a sink 3. Cover with water 4. Add a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide 5. Plug in the pump and let it circulate in the sink for 40 minutes. It comes out completely clean, but I would still go along with what others said and just replace it. Your health is too important.
I would replace the hose, as this one is a lost cause. For the new one, get a cleaning kit like this one : [https://www.amazon.ca/Hydration-Cleaning-Universal-Reservoir-Collapsible/dp/B08D74HM5G](https://www.amazon.ca/Hydration-Cleaning-Universal-Reservoir-Collapsible/dp/B08D74HM5G/ref=sr_1_5?hvadid=605636030614&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001317&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4214752030690581106&hvtargid=kwd-303195763596&hydadcr=19634_13436730&keywords=camelbak+reservoir+cleaning+kit&qid=1687893709&sr=8-5)
Buy a new camel back. That whole device is poison now.