# Best way to clean and dry Camelback hydration internal bag?



## 749800 (Jul 14, 2013)

The taste of the water in my camelback bags has convinced me I am not drying and storing them properly.

Carrying a sack full of undrinkable water on my back while I dehydrated on a ride was a bit frustrating.

What is the best way to keep them clean, dry and the water fresh-tasting?


----------



## kevin267 (Mar 9, 2011)

I get this problem too. I think filling it and emptying it often has helped.


----------



## aandegrens (Oct 10, 2012)

I solved this by inserting a 30cm ruler which I bent in U shape.
This prevents the sides of the bag to stick together and the air can dry the bag.
I only use water. After a ride I empty the bag en blow the tube with a compressor insert the ruler and hang it up so the filling cap is at the bottem.


----------



## 749800 (Jul 14, 2013)

Thanks. I am beginning to think stuffing a few water bottles into the backpack might even be an improvement. (Usually I can get by with 2 bottles on the frame, but for a long ride in Moab in August this was a necessity. Unfortunately, it still tastes like Moab ground water.)

I wonder if a rinse with hydrogen peroxide would help?

The ruler idea seems like a good one, and I read somewhere else of people storing these in the freezer.


----------



## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

I usually keep in the fridge with some water in it. Every now and then some good ole soap and water does the trick.


----------



## Gregon2wheels (Jan 17, 2013)

Dish soap & water after every ride. Rinse well & dry with a hanger. Then once or twice a year I leave a bleach solution in it for a day or two.


----------



## jennyv (Nov 13, 2012)

Mix some household bleach with cold water and fill it to the brim. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then turn on its side. Flip on its side again to make sure you've soaked the underside of the cap thoroughly. Rinse with hot water. The chlorine breaks down in heat, so a few rinses in hot water will get rid of any residual bleach.


----------



## Miker J (Nov 4, 2003)

Depends....

Is the bad taste from lack of cleaning/drying, or is it simply the plastic taste of the container.

Easies way to dry for me has been to take the Camel hose itself on stuff it in the bladder to allow air in, then hang in a window. Otherwise, I always keep it in the fridge.

I've never been able to completely get rid of the plastic taste from the Camel bladders. It lessens with time, and can be masked by adding flavor to the water.

At times I've determined it to be such a hassle that I just used recycled sports drink bottles in the pack (Vitamin water bottles are my favorite).

More recently I just moved on to an Osprey pack - preliminary testing shows no nasty plastic taste from the bird bladder.


----------



## Mamba13 (Apr 30, 2014)

wgscott said:


> The taste of the water in my camelback bags has convinced me I am not drying and storing them properly.
> 
> Carrying a sack full of undrinkable water on my back while I dehydrated on a ride was a bit frustrating.
> 
> What is the best way to keep them clean, dry and the water fresh-tasting?


I put my camel bak bladder in the freezer after each use.


----------



## andylaiphoto (Jun 3, 2007)

Soap and water after every ride. Camelback tablets once every other month.


----------



## drew840 (Mar 4, 2013)

Mamba13 said:


> I put my camel bak bladder in the freezer after each use.


This is what I do as well. After each ride I just empty it and put it in the freezer. A good rinse before each use and I wash it every three or so rides.


----------



## BMC FS (Dec 19, 2011)

Store it in a freezer after every ride. I had a Cemelback but switched to Osprey for a better bladder and mouthpiece. Never had any problems after using the freezer method. If you intend to use it as soon as you pull it out, only keep a little water in it.


----------



## dirt farmer (Mar 28, 2005)

Buy some cheap denture cleaning tablets... put in reservoir once a week. Let stand overnight. Then rinse. Store reservoir in fridge.

Problem solved!


----------



## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

If it has a bad taste, go 50/50 on the water/bleach soak. if it's just a bad smell, 30/70.

To keep bacteria from building back up, put a squirt of lemon juice in there once a week or two after cleaning and rinsing. Let it sit for ten, then rinse and set up to air dry.


----------



## andylaiphoto (Jun 3, 2007)

So when you guys put it in the freezer all you do prior to is rinse it out with regular water?


----------



## rockhop (Mar 22, 2006)

I rinse mine with hot tap water then straight in the freezer. Been doing this with the same bladder since '97. Occasionally I'll fill it with hot water and a tspn of dishwasher powder, the type for machines. Rinses clean with no aftertaste.


----------



## 05kas05 (Mar 20, 2010)

when i had my camelbak i would use the denture tablets it worked well and gave it a minty taste at least for the first fill up then it would start tasting like plastic again.i finally switched to an osprey pack mainly just to downsize the bag. the bladder/water tastes so much better and it is still tasting great after a year and a half. i don't think i would use another camelbak but to be fair i have not tried their new bladders yet.


----------



## palerider (Jul 15, 2004)

I would never use bleach, try lemon juice.


----------



## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Shake with a little baking soda (soak if severe), rinse. Drain and then add a couple paper towels inside to remove moisture and keep it "open". Remove and add new towels if needed. Hang with a dry paper towel inside until next use.


----------



## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

Mamba13 said:


> I put my camel bak bladder in the freezer after each use.


1+ In all those years I never cleaned a single one while using just water besides before using it for the first time.


----------



## ibadfish (Apr 22, 2012)

Mamba13 said:


> I put my camel bak bladder in the freezer after each use.


I do the exact same. I've been using the same camel back bladder for 3 years. Whatever water I don't finish gets thrown in the freezer. This helps keep the water cold during my ride as well. Best part is you don't have to fuss with cleaning and drying the camel bak. I've only washed mine out once and that was only because I left it in my car for a couple of days and when I first got the camelbak.

Also the carbon filter they sell works really well.


----------



## johnlh (Aug 16, 2008)

I sometimes put Heed or Perpetuem in mine, so it is washed with soap & water after every ride, then hung to dry on a folded up wire coat hanger. If things do get funky, then a simple wash, followed by a soak in bleach water does the trick. A day or so of soaking with a baking soda solution removes the bleach taste.


----------



## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Drain after every ride, and hang on handlebars upside down with tube in to air dry.


----------



## teleken (Jul 22, 2005)

I use a 4-5" piece of stiff foam (like those pool noodles) to keep the bladder spread out so it can air dry.


----------



## jjaguar (Oct 6, 2011)

I usually use water, and most of the time the unfinished portion just goes into the fridge for next time. If I do wash it out, it's with dish soap and water and sometimes a little bleach or white vinegar. I'll stick a wire whisk in it to hold it open and hang it upside down to dry.


----------

