I was wondering if any you guys and gals out there had a trade secret to cleaning out Hydration Bags and or your water bags for your Camel packs or Plattapus packs.
I have thougth abotu soap but not sure if the tast will come out?

In my experience, the taste DOES come out, but I only use a dish soap like Dawn, OCCASIONALLY. The rest of the time, I just rinse it, and prop it open to air dry. The newer Camelbacks are a HUGE improvement, because they have the really BIG opening, which makes it easier to scrub them inside, fill them with ice cubes, and prop them open to dry.

I wash mine before each ride with dawn, just dont use a lot. I bought the brushes to clean mine, its hard to get the tube clean otherwise. I usually boil mine if i forget to empty it out after a ride and it sits for a while. Dawn willl rinse out and not leave a taste.

good luck.:beer:

http://www.trinewbies.com/phorum/thread-view.asp?threadid=11641&posts=17

Lots of good ideas here.

Does Camelbak still give money to the Sierra club? I've been toying with the idea of buying something similar, but don't want to shoot us 'wheelers in the foot just to buy a drinking system. Hopefully they wised up and quit giving those goons money, but I'd like to be sure before I support them. Anyone know for sure?

When your done with it, store it in a ziplock in the freezer....no grunge can grow.

wash with warm soapy water and rinse with cold clean water for a long time.

putting a squirt of lemon juice (just enough so you can barely taste it) in the bladder with your ice and water makes the taste a lot better on the older camelbacks, water bottles, and canteens.

cheap vodka or, if your can get it, everclear.

Pour a few ounces in, squeeze out as much air as you can, close the bag and shake it up for a while.

Then repeat the process with water a few times.

mild solution of bleach should work fine.
let soak for a few minutes and rinse s couple of times.

Bleach is chlorine.
It's exactly what you drink in your public water supply.

Some small water systems use store bought bleach as the chlorine in the water system. No kidding, you are essentially drinking generic "Homebest Bleach".

Large systems use gas chlorinators.

Originally posted by SilverZuk
mild solution of bleach should work fine.
let soak for a few minutes and rinse s couple of times.

Bleach is chlorine.
It's exactly what you drink in your public water supply.

Some small water systems use store bought bleach as the chlorine in the water system. No kidding, you are essentially drinking generic "Homebest Bleach".

Large systems use gas chlorinators.

I think it's about 1 teaspoon per gallon of water, or something like that. My girlfriend's uncle competes in barbecue cookoffs, and says that at some of the places they go to they use a little bleach in the drinking water just to be safe!

Originally posted by SilverZuk
mild solution of bleach should work fine.
let soak for a few minutes and rinse s couple of times.

Bleach is chlorine.
It's exactly what you drink in your public water supply.

Some small water systems use store bought bleach as the chlorine in the water system. No kidding, you are essentially drinking generic "Homebest Bleach".

Large systems use gas chlorinators.

Not exactly right. Only a few off the shelf Sodium Hypochlorite solutions ( bleach) are USDA and FDA approved. It's not all the same. There are many low grade ones out there, swimming pool grades of Sodium Hypochlorite are full of all sorts of strange stuff and would not be something to add to drinking water.

Originally posted by Old Scout


Only a few off the shelf Sodium Hypochlorite solutions ( bleach) are USDA and FDA approved. It's not all the same. There are many low grade ones out there, swimming pool grades of Sodium Hypochlorite are full of all sorts of strange stuff and would not be something to add to drinking water.

I see them use generic bleach in small plants regularly. Class II – surface water treatment plants. I quizzed the operator and also raised concerns with the Health Dept. about the use of bleach. They said that bleach that is approved is nothing but sodium hypochlorite and water. I believe the mix is around 18%, but not positive.

I had some pics of one I was in recently, but couldn’t find one with the cases of bleach in them.

Originally posted by SilverZuk


I see them use generic bleach in small plants regularly. Class II – surface water treatment plants. I quizzed the operator and also raised concerns with the Health Dept. about the use of bleach. They said that bleach that is approved is nothing but sodium hypochlorite and water. I believe the mix is around 18%, but not positive.

I had some pics of one I was in recently, but couldn’t find one with the cases of bleach in them.

18%??? Household is 5.25% , industrial/food plant is 9.00%, swimming pool grade is 12.5%

Originally posted by Dieselmh
Does Camelbak still give money to the Sierra club? I've been toying with the idea of buying something similar, but don't want to shoot us 'wheelers in the foot just to buy a drinking system. Hopefully they wised up and quit giving those goons money, but I'd like to be sure before I support them. Anyone know for sure?

They'd be foolish if they did, since the Sierra Club has given mountain bikers just as much shit as they have wheelers.

I dunno how anyone takes them serious anymore.

i would still be using the original 5 year old bag that came with mine if they didnt come out with the new bag with the kick arse big opening :D
mine gets used almost everyday and when i can smell (long before you can taiste) anything "off" i clean it by filling it with hot water a cap of bleach,force water out threw the hose a bit,leave it till it is cool,drain and then rince a few times. then i leave it open to dry.
easy and always taistes clean :D

Originally posted by nakona
cheap vodka or, if your can get it, everclear.

Pour a few ounces in, squeeze out as much air as you can, close the bag and shake it up for a while.

Then repeat the process with water a few times.

That's what I fill it with to begin with though! :confused: