How To Get The Best From Your Insulated Steel Water Bottle

Alright! We hear you. Everyone knows how a water bottle works and outdoorsy types certainly don't need to be told how to use one. However, there are a few top tips that are certainly worth sharing when it comes to getting the very most from an insulated steel water bottle, so here are a few of our top tips to get the very best out of yours.

Whether you're an early morning commuter or you're off on an outdoor adventure, your water bottle should never be too far away. When it comes to cleaning, however, a lot of us are less diligent, with most opting for a quick 'rinse, sniff and off we go!' approach. This may be efficient but it is not enough when it comes to optimising performance and longevity. Luckily for you, we've gone through our fair share of bottles over the years, both in terms of product testing and on a day-to-day basis.

Get your bottle up to temperature

Whether you're going for a hot drink to keep you warm over the winter months or just wanting to keep your drink icy cool for as long as possible, getting your water bottle to a good starting temperature will give it the extra edge. We've all had that experience when out having a drink at a bar on a hot day, and they issue you a nice warm glass straight from the dishwasher. It's no fun watching your ice cubes melt at a rapid pace! 

Chill Out

Chilling the inside before adding your drink can really help make your drink stay cooler for longer. You can add some ice cubes or simply fill your bottle with cold water to pre-cool it. Storing an insulated steel bottle in the fridge, however, won't have much of an effect. This is because while insulated drinks bottles may feel cold to touch, the inside won't be as cold air is unable to get in. For example, the double-walled construction of the Red Original water bottle traps air in between the layers to allow the contents to stay cold for up to 24 hours or hot for 12. 

Pre-warming 

Conversely warming up your drinks bottle before adding your tea or coffee goes a long way too. A quick run under the hot tap pre-warms the inside, so hot drinks don't instantly cool down when they hit the cool inner wall. This simple trick will give your bottle an extra boost, which is perfect for those big outdoor days. When you're leaving at home at daybreak and want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee at the summit of your climb, or beach picnic spot!  

Fill your bottle right up

This is a common mistake that gets overlooked when maximising the use of your water bottle. Even leaving a little space at the top can trap warm or cool air inside, causing the contents to either rapidly cool down or warm-up. Have you ever noticed that after you've opened and drank out of a drinks bottle with hot contents, the drink quickly cools down afterwards? This is why, so make sure you fill her up to the top! 

Keep your steel water bottle safe 

To ensure your bottle has a long and healthy life, we recommend avoiding drops and knocks. While insulated steel water bottles are much better than plastic bottles when it comes to keeping your drink at the right temperature, its ability to do so will decrease if the outer wall gets dented. So just go easy when you're handling your bottle and try and avoid that awful "clang!" as it falls to the floor. 

Cleaning steel water bottles 

Some days we enjoy hot chocolate and other days we prefer a gin and tonic. However, there is no joy in that stale mix of previous enjoyed drinks mixing in an unpleasant concoction! So how do you give your bottle the best clean in between outings? The best way is with hot soapy water and a brush. Luckily, the Red Original insulated steel water bottle has a wide mouth which makes it easy for washing, while some of the other available brands are not quite as wide. Give it a good soak and use the brush to get to the bottom and scrub off any residue. 

Drinks bottle caps are home to all sorts of gunk which can accumulate to a pretty disgusting mess if left unattended for too long. Sucker caps or sports caps can become pretty foul pretty quickly so be sure to rinse and scrub well regularly to stop you from becoming ill. If you want to sterilise your drinks caps drop them in a cup of boiling water usually kills off any nasty bugs. 

Drying and storing steel bottle

If you're anything like us then your water bottle is usually rinsed, refilled and back out again. If you wish to store it, however, we advise removing the lid when leaving it to dry and keeping the lid off when putting it away so that the bottle can breathe. This can prevent any nasty smells building up in the bottle. 

Check Out The Red Original Insulated Steel Bottle 

If you're searching for a new drinks bottle for yourself or perhaps a gift for a friend, check out the Red Original insulated marine-grade stainless steel water bottle. Designed to keep drinks cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours, find out what makes ours the best insulated steel water bottle by visiting our blog.