Here ’s what happens to the H2O you leave behind out on your bedside table — plus how to make your water last .
We ’ve all been there — you leave your water nursing bottle on your desk all weekend , have multiple glasses of water around the house , or leave a tumbler on your bedside table semi - for good . Now you ’re wonder whether it ’s safe to drink that water that ’s been leave behind or scattered across your house and/or office .
Does it make a remainder if the glass or bottleful were covered ? What about the material of the container the body of water ’s been sitting in — is that important ? While the expiration dates on most single - use formative weewee bottles may be seeable , the province of the water leave in those containers is a wad less percipient . And what about the unlabeled bottles ? lease ’s take a cryptic dive into old water : Here ’s everything you want to know about your bedside water stash .
Credit:BHG / Sarah Crowley
BHG / Sarah Crowley
What Happens to Water as It Sits?
As you ’re sound at peace , what ’s happening in that trash of water sitting on your nightstand ? Well , a few thing .
First off , as your body of water sits , especially if it ’s uncovered for eight or more hours , the carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with it . Thischemical reactionwill ensue in the formation of weak superman , reducing the pH level of your water . While this water is still totally good to drink , its pH is the first culprit of why that urine tastes a small off the next morning .
Something else to keep in thinker is that with every sip taken from your glass or pee bottle , Modern bacterium are introduced . Most of the time this bacterium comes from your mouth — unless you share your water with a loved one . However , unsportsmanlike fingers also come into caper because it ’s easy to grab the rim of a drinking glass or straw with unwashed custody .
The bacterium from our sass is , of course , ours , and therefore unlikely to make illness . However , sharing deglutition with others and introducing bacteria ascertain on your hands ( especially if they have n’t been washed recently ) can be baffling — and it might even make you sick of . This peril increase when our weewee is expose to rut ( like the extreme temperatures of a car ’s interior ) , as heat quicken bacterium growth .
If your piddle watercraft is uncovered overnight or for an elongated stretch , the water can also accumulate rubble , debris , or other minor particles from the air travel circulating in your home , spot , or car . While it ’s very improbable that these will cause you any harm , they may interpolate the tang of your piddle the next day .
Tap piss containschlorinefor on the nose this reason — it pop bacteria , sponge , and computer virus . However , chlorine dissipates when exposed to air , and can be mostly absent from water after justone to five days . depend on how long your water is sitting out for , it may have lost that built - in bacterial DoD system by the time you pick it up again .
Does the Container Matter?
When it issue forth to the containers we store our water in , material matters . You ’ve probably heard that plastic water bottles are n’t the best for your wellness — remember the BPA - free movement in the late 2000s ? BPA , or bisphenol A , which was once readily set up in plastic water bottleful , is a known endocrine organization disruptor that interfere with our natural hormonal processes . Research has also shown that it’shighly probable that BPA is linkedto several wellness concern , includingheart diseaseand reproductive issues .
Even with the BPA - gratis plastic bottle that slid into that mart gap , there is some jeopardy . Polyethylene terephthalate ( PET)—what most plastic water bottles are made of these days — can percolate antimony and phthalates from the nursing bottle into the pee , particularly in affectionate conditions or in direct sunlight . Phthalates ( like BPA ) have been linked to endocrine disruption . Antimony — which is found throughout the environment in trace amounts — can make respiratory , cardiovascular , gastrointestinal , and reproductive issues at high grade . However , accord to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ( ATSDR , a Division of the U.S. Department of Health ) , drinking water from plastic bottleful is not known to cause these health effects .
Microplastics are also a business organization as they percolate more pronto into water from fictile bottle when display to heat and time . Microplastics(and even small nanoplastics ) can accumulate in our cellular phone and tissues , but the potential health risks of that are still unproved or unnamed .
Also of note here : If you do expend single - usance charge plate bottles , nullify wash and reusing them . Despite the environmentally favorable mindset behind this move , doing so can increase the betting odds of microplastic and chemic leaching . The expiration dates find on these individual - use nursing bottle also argue a deterioration of the container ( not just the contents inside ) , so it ’s significant to pay attention .
With all this selective information , there ’s no skilful time to invest in a Methedrine or alloy reusable water system bottle — if you have n’t already ! Just be aware that metal recyclable bottle can heat up rapidly , accelerating the growth of any bacterium that may be hanging out in your weewee .
Tips for Keeping Your Water Safe
When it make out down to it , day - old water is n’t topping the leaning of public wellness business concern . That old water on your countertop , piddle left overnight next to your bed , or even days - old water on your office desk from Friday are all okay and safe to drink . It ’s very unlikely that they ’ll get you to be ill , but they just might not sample very effective — especially if they ’ve been go out uncovered .
That say , here are a few tip to keep an eye on if you need to be extra safe :
In other words , as long as you ’re not share your water system with everyone at the gym and then leaving it for a week , you are plausibly safe to enjoy day - sometime ( or even a few day - quondam ) weewee . To play it super good , get a impudent glass or reusable bottle of water every 24-hour interval and consume it as quickly as potential . Not only will that extra footprint keep your water tasting delicious , it will also advance you to booze more ( rather of just leaving it on the rejoinder ) . Happy hydrating !
Frequently Asked Questions
expert suggest you should lap reusable body of water bottles every day to prevent the build - up of bacterium . Also , if your bottle has a straw , clean it on a regular basis with a clash or pipe cleaner .
No . boil your drinking water can eliminate bacterium but it does n’t make it unadulterated . It also wo n’t prevent the bacterium that are introducedafteryou start drink from develop .
Yes , with some exceptions . It ’s dependable to consume unsweetened coffee or Camellia sinensis if it has been sitting for less than 8 60 minutes . The taste may be decrease , but you are unlikely to get inauspicious . That enunciate , brew teatime and chocolate are susceptible to bacterium growth and position a likely risk of foodborne illness . So , if the drinkable is sweetened , contains any type of milk , or has been out for longer than 8 hours , it is proficient to discard it .
Allafi A. R. 2020 . “ The issue of temperature and storage prison term on the migration of antimony from polythene terephthalate ( PET ) into commercial-grade bottled water system in Kuwait . ”Acta bio - medica : Atenei Parmensis,91(4 ) , e2020105 . https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i4.8463
Wang , Y. , & Qian , H. 2021 . “ Phthalates and their impacts on human health” . Healthcare(Basel , Switzerland ) , 9(5 ) , 603.https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9050603
2019 . “ atomic number 51 – TOXFAQs ” . Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry , Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences .
Naixin Qian , et al . January 2024 . “ speedy single - particle chemical tomography of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy” . proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences .
