Your plastic water bottle could be as dirty as your toilet

                We all know the magical qualities of water – it quenches our thirst after exercise, soothes a hangover after a big night and can even help us lose weight. However – if you are glugging your H₂O from a refillable plastic bottle – you best read ahead. Drinking water from a used bottle is as bad for you as licking a toilet seat.

                Researchers tested four types of water bottle – crew-top, slide-top, squeeze-top and straw-top – that had been used by an athlete for a week without being wasted. The bottle with most bacteria – the slide-top type – had more bacteria on it than an average toilet seat, pet bowl or kitchen sink. The proliferation of germs is caused by a lack of washing our bottles properly, a build-up of sweat plus all the germs we encounter on a daily basis. Researchers found that over 60% of the bacteria on the bottles could make people sick.

                Before you go scrub your mouth out and give that bottle on your desk the ultimate side-eye, go get yourself a straw-top, stainless steel bottle. The cleanest of the bottle types tested was the straw-top and researchers also found that stainless steel bottles were healthier option.