Reusing Water Bottles

By refilling or reusing your plastic water bottles you can help reduce the trash in our landfills and save yourself some money. This is a guide about reusing water bottles.

Solutions: Reusing Water Bottles

Read and rate the best solutions below by giving them a "thumbs up".

Use Sock on Water Bottle

Do you have one of those water bottles that you see pretty much everywhere now days? I'm talking about the ones made of metal or plastic that you can refill over and over again. I own several of them, and I really like them. My children carry theirs around all the time.

My one gripe about them is that if you put ice in them they "sweat" all over everything. I've found a solution to that problem. Simply put a sock over the bottom of the bottle. The sock will absorb the "sweat" and will also help keep your drink cold longer.

Source: I saw my father-in-law using a sock on his drink bottle.

By Mary from Montrose, SD

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Thrifty Water Bottle Cozy

It's been well over 90 degrees F and way too much humidity for some time now. Staying hydrated is very important for all of us. Here's a use for those orphan socks we all have. Cotton socks absorb best.

There are 2 ways to fit it to your bottle:

Put the bottle all the way into the sock and turn down the top to drink. Turn it back up to carry in your purse with you.

Put the bottle in as far as you want and cut off the bottom to sit flat on a coaster.

Tip: Fill your bottle 1/3 full of water and tilt it in the freezer, I do mine overnight. The next morning, fill the rest with cold water. It goes with me in the car. Don't forget your sock!

Sorry I can't include a photo as my camera is on the fritz but you get the idea. ; )

By Keeper from Morganton, NC

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Funnel To Refill Water Bottles

I like to use the water from my fridge that comes from the filter system outside the door. If you use a small funnel, you'll have no spills.

By lnygaard from Billings, MT

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Refilling Bottles With Water

This is for people who buy spring/drinking water. I like to keep water bottles on hand for convenience, but do not like spending the money to buy the individual bottles all the time. I use either disposable plastic or glass. The disposable ones, I wash and refill a few times then recycle or I reuse glass soda/soft drink bottles. I like to use the glass ones at home, because they can be reused repeatedly, but the plastic ones are easier to transport.

To make refilling these bottles easier, I place the empty bottles in a cardboard 6-pack soda/beer carrier and put into a dry kitchen sink. Using a funnel, I fill the bottles with purchased one-gallon spring water. This keeps the empty bottles from falling over when trying to fill them. If you do spill some, it will go into the sink. Getting the cardboard carrier a bit wet will not cause any problems as long as long as it doesn't get soaked.

I really do not like buying spring water but in our area, the water tastes terrible. Since we rent our home, we do not have the option to filter our water.

By mkymlp from NE PA /USA

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Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

I try not to purchase bottled water but sometimes I forget my water mug. I wondered about what I could do with them since the apartment building I live in doesn't have recycling bins and and I have no room to store them. I also want to remain environmentally friendly by not using/wasting gas unnecessarily to drive five miles away to the recycling center for only a couple of items.

Well, I came up with: Wash them, dry thoroughly and use to freeze chopped veggies and herbs! The bottles are clear so it's easy to see what's in them and they fit beautifully on the freezer door compartment!

I made a funnel with a cone coffee filter but you can use foil, paper bags, etc to easily get the diced and chopped items inside the bottles.

Be sure your veggies and herbs are as dry as possible to prevent freezer burn before funneling ;-)

By Deeli from Richland, WA

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Water Bottles for Watering Hanging Baskets

I was looking on the internet at this farming site, I forget what it was, and someone had cut the end off a water bottle and put holes all up and down on the bottle. The top was out of the dirt and you could pour the water down in the bottle. The water goes through the holes and sprinkles in all directions under the dirt. It is for those hanging baskets that plants hanging at all angles or any big hanging baskets.

By Robyn

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Plastic Water Cups out of Soda Bottles

I have been taking the soda bottles, the little ones, and removing the cap, squeezing them down, and cutting across the top. Then I smooth out the top by cutting it again.

This provides me with a lot of plastic drinking cups that are stronger than paper cups and they are larger, and they won't break.

We have been enjoying them a great deal!

By Robyn

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Questions

Here are questions related to Reusing Water Bottles.

Uses For Water Bottles

I am looking for any ideas that I can make using 8oz plastic water bottles. Any Christmas ideas?

Sylvia from Hammond, LA

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Most Recent Answer

By Zr (Guest Post) 07/26/2007

Can be used for storage containers, nails, screw, bolt, nut, small items. Nail or screw the cap to the bottom of a board overhead, then you can unscrew the bottle or screw it on and fill it up as needed, if you tear off the label, you have a great visual on what's inside, great organizing, nail many bottles side by side.

Uses For Water Bottles

My husband who paints cars at home uses our empty single serving water bottles for mixing paint. He cuts the tops off, which he can then use as a funnel, and the bottom of the plastic bottle is strong for the chemicals he needs to mix. No money wasted here, every little bit helps. Thank you.

By Michelle F from Pawnee, IL

RE: Uses For Water Bottles

Just a safety note.

Please remember that while recycling and re-using is good, NEVER use a drink container of any kind [the cut down containers do not seem to fall into this category - I'm not talking about those] for anything other than drinkable substances.

This is a standard poisoning prevention tip. Children see a drink container and automatically think it is ok to drink. As a former EMT, believe me - kids CAN and DO drink the most awful smelling and tasting stuff. (08/28/2006)

By aardvark

RE: Uses For Water Bottles

This is such a good way of using the plastic water bottles more than once. It is now said that reusing these bottles for water, etc. is not safe as the plastic can leak chemicals into the drink. It is good to find other ways to reuse these to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our landfills.

I reuse these bottles to make pots for houseplants. Punch holes in the bottom for drainage, then set them into planters that disguise the bottle. You can surround bottles with potting soil or pebbles, or not. This way a plant can be removed or changed as the needed. When using them for pots for resale at bazaars or gift, etc., do not punch holes in bottom and cover with paper, cloths, etc. Tie with ribbon. (08/28/2006)

By CamsCottage

RE: Uses For Water Bottles

Good idea about using for funnel! Thank you! (08/28/2006)

By Bobbie

Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

Do not reuse plastic spring water bottles for a long time. A substance in the plastic breaks down into the water. This is not healthy. Teachers have sent a note to parents packing lunches not to reuse plastic bottles! I have reused bottles many times in the past. No more!

By Sharon L Martin from Canada

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

There is a expiration date stamped on the plastic bottle with the month and year. It can be on the neck, bottom or on the cap. The plastic bottle should be safe to use up until the expiration date. (07/26/2006)

By Dean

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

I wonder were this bit of information came from. If the substance in the plastic breaks down in the second water, what keeps it from breaking down in the first water use of the bottle? Would it be because the water bottler wants you to keep buying more water? (07/26/2006)

By Helen

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

Snopes addresses an email that was going around that referenced a study done by a University of Idaho graduate student that concluded plastic bottles may introduce carcinogens into water as the plastic breaks down. Their conclusion was that this is false, the study has not been peer reviewed and may not be accurate.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

i do notice that the longer water is in a plastic bottle, the more the water develops a plastic taste. That's just anecdotal, though. Snopes also notes: "Some organizations (including the IBWA) do recommend that plastic water bottles be used only once before recycling, but not because re-use is likely to cause carcinogenic compounds to leach from the plastic bottles into the liquids they hold. The concern is that people (particularly children) can too easily spread and ingest bacteria from their hands and mouths by re-using bottles without properly washing them or allowing them sufficient time to dry."

Maybe that is what concerns the school?

And Helen, that is a very good question. If the plastic isn't safe to reuse, why is it safe in the first place when bottled water is supposed to have a quite a long shelf life. (07/26/2006)

By lewis_admin

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

From what I heard on the John Tesh radio show, the problem is not carcinogens leeching into the water. The problem is bacteria builds up over time. Further, micro fissures quickly develop in the thin plastic giving the bacteria a perfect place to grow, and the plastic bottles are very difficult to clean, which compounds the problem. The study he cited recommended not reusing the bottles for more then a week, and to wash them with hot soapy water and air dry between each use. (07/26/2006)

By V_Bratovski

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

We're in the hurricane zone so when hurricane season ends, we use up our supply and then replace it again when the season rolls back around. If your water is in a spare refrigerator, or even inside in a climate controlled atmosphere, then it probably will last a lot longer. If it's stored in a hot garage, probably a lot less.

As far as reusing the bottles, from what I understand, the issue with bacteria lies in the fact that most people probably don't wash them well enough, but even if they did, chemically speaking, the plastics used to make single-use bottles are not designed to stand up to washing. Therefore, the heat from wash water - either from hand washing or machine washing (and possibly also from the detergents used) - can degrade the plastic of the bottles, increasing the likelihood of chemical leaching.

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2178.html

(07/26/2006)

By mef1957

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

I checked this out on the internet, and learned that this is not true. The FDA has checked out PET and permits multiple uses. The expiration date is for the water, as over time, bacteria can multiply, even in the original unopened water bottle. (07/27/2006)

By Linda

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

This is from http:www.cancer.org : The original version of this email begins by saying "Many are unaware of poisoning caused by re-using plastic bottles," and says "bottles are safe for one-time use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well." The email says the bottles contain DEHA, which it calls a potential carcinogen.

A newer (2007) version of the email quotes an unidentified doctor as saying women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car because the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer.

Fact:

These emails are apparently based on a student's college thesis. In fact, DEHA is not inherent in the plastic used to make these bottles, and even if it was the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says DEHA "cannot reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer, teratogenic effects, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, gene mutations, liver, kidney, reproductive, or developmental toxicity or other serious or irreversible chronic health effects." Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), says diethylhexyl adipate"is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans."

and this from USC:

To keep reusable plastic water bottles germ and odor free, USC sports teams wash them at least twice a week in the dishwasher, notes Sue Lerner, assistant athletic/medical trainer for the USC Department of Athletics. "Some people use a weekly sanitizing rinse of one teaspoon of bleach in a quart of water," she says. And most importantly: "Let the bottle air dry completely every night."

I re-use the bottles for about a month or so myself, and have had no problems. (11/27/2007)

By djk01

RE: Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

I need to do this for a science fair project. Maybe you should try doing an experiment on it too. It could be fun and it would help you get a good result. This could also get you extra credit. If you don't want to do this though I have found in my research numerous answers that it is inf act un-healthy. Bacteria could grow in your water bottle without you knowing it. Unless you rinse the water bottle out it is unsafe. Please trust me, I am detailed in science and I am sure this answer is correct. (09/15/2008)

By Erin