I used to buy Snapples and other bottled drinks when I was at work or school, but it got expensive and I was worried about all the bottles I was wasting. So I saved the bottles, washed them out, fill them a third with juice and pop them in the freezer. The next day I fill them to the top with water. Mmm, flavored water, frugal, and it stays cold. :) The ice will melt quickly.
I don't know if Heather was referring to plastic or glass bottles. Snapple comes in glass to my knowledge. I have saved a few of them and use as my reuseable water bottles. Maybe not quite as convenient as plastic as they can break but I prefer glass to plastic to drink out of. I can run through the dishwasher as well and re-use time and time again. I have water and ice through my fridge so I will fill one almost full with ice before I put water and when I'm out garage-saling or running errands, the water stays very cold.
Plastic bottles break down over time. Frequent washing in hot soapy water cleans them, but contributes to this process. Today we are learning much more about what goes into plastic, and what comes out. A lot of this is not safe over the long haul. Children are hurt the most, as some of these chemicals make cause them to become sterile, along with other nasty stuff. I recently read about one maker of a special water bottle, can't recall the name, sorry, later admitted their bottle leached the toxic chemicals, much like regular bottles. I think this was about a $20 item.
Buyer beware, and do your home work! Don't expect the Gov. to protect us either. In the USA we allow plastic tubing for I.V's in our hospitals, while Europe has banned this type of plastic, using a different type which is safer, and does not leach into the patient.Same thing for baby bottles! In the future they will make safer bottles! What about today's children? What harm are we doing to their little systems?
For all of you using your microwaves, beware of plastic dishes, plastic wraps etc. All the chemicals break down into your food which you eat. All the steam fresh veggie mixes, etc. are not what you think when it comes to your health. Stick with ceramic dishes, use wax paper to cover, or another dish. All the wonderful silicon bake pans, etc. are putting poisons into our diets. No wonder so many people are getting cancers at an earlier age, or rarer forms are appearing more often. Look at how many couples have problems when trying to start a family. I have seen this in my own family, and those of my friends. Autism hits like one child in 110 children. Why now? Perhaps we are what we eat, chemicals and all!
Great idea; just don't use the same bottle for too long. Don't the plastics in disposable bottles start to break down quickly? I've heard that but can't substantiate it.
I started doing this years ago when my husband was a mechanic. I'd freeze 2 bottles of Gatorade and put them in an insulated bag. At the end of the day after working in 90-100+ heat in that garage, he'd still have some cold Gatorade for on the way home. This is a great idea, but you have to watch the brand of water you buy. Some brands use some really flimsy plastic to make their bottles. But if you get the ones that use a good sturdy plastic, the bottles will last a long, long time. I do this too. And also, depending on the time of year, you freeze more or less the nite before. In winter, the ice doesn't melt as fast so I don't freeze as much. But in summer it melts quite fast so I freeze about 3/4 of a bottle.
I use to do the wash and refill but now I limit it to bottles with a 5 on the bottom. So many things turn out to be true after years of ignoring them. Invest in a good size Rubbermade bottle with a 5 on the bottom you can find them in quart, pint and 8oz for the little ones. Fill it 1/4-1/3 full and slant it in your freezer. In the morning, fill it the rest of the way with cold water and it will last atleast 1/2 the day unless it is left in the sun. I actually keep a gallon bottle in the fridge and keep refilling an 18 oz. thermos. Keeps it cold for the day and I don't have to worry about someone mistaking my bottle for theres.
I do the same for icy-cold tap water. After getting several emails about bad chemicals leaching into water from re-used bottles, I checked with the JohnsHopkins Public Health Newsletter and read the column disclaiming this.
That's an idea that's really handy for guys out on tractors and also for hunters. My husband leaves the house with a cold bottle and comes in several times through the day and always leaves with a fresh one. He's gone hunting today (my day off!!) and he's got a large bottle of ice/water with him.
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