Can I Put Lemon in My Stainless Steel Water Bottle?

Stainless steel water bottles are all the rave right now. They are sleek, durable, and eco-friendly. I mean, who wouldn’t love them?

While office workers use them to carry their coffees, athletes use them to carry their water.

But what happens when you want to add some lemon to your daily drink? Can your stainless steel water bottle handle it?

That is exactly what we are going to talk about today.

Can I put lemon in my stainless steel water bottle?

Yes, you can put lemon in your stainless steel water bottle, but the lemon water has to be at room temperature.

Stainless steel is strong enough to withstand most acidic substances. But if the temperature of the water is really high and the bottle is exposed to it for a long period of time, a concentrated lemon beverage can make nickel leach out of the bottle.

And while this will mostly affect people with nickel allergies, the nickel levels can sometimes exceed the advisable limits for even non-allergic people.

Can lemon juice damage my stainless steel water bottle?

No, lemon juice can’t damage your stainless steel water bottle. But if there is even a hint of rust within the bottle, the lemon juice will dissolve it.

Because of its acidity, lemon juice is capable of dissolving rust. And while usually, that’s a good thing as it makes lemon juice a great natural rust remedy, it’s not great when that rust is dissolved into the water you’re drinking.

Which type of water bottle is safer for lemon juice?

Believe it or not, when it comes to lemon juice you’re better off with a stainless steel bottle than a plastic or aluminum one. This is because plastic bottles readily leach chemicals into any solution you store in them. And since lemon juice is particularly acidic, the leaching will be much worse. While aluminum bottles have an epoxy lining that also leaches chemicals.

Ultimately, the best reusable water bottle for lemon juice is a glass one. These water bottles are inert and can’t leach any chemicals. No matter how hot your lemon juice is or how long you leave it in the bottle, no damage or leaching will occur.

What other drinks should you not store in your water bottle?

Lemon juice aside, there are other beverages whose storage can be problematic. These include:

  • Hot milk – No matter which type of bottle you are using, you should not store hot milk inside it. This is because it will lead to the quick multiplication of microorganisms. When it comes to milk, it is better to drink it immediately.
  • Hot tea – Storing hot tea in your bottle damages the beverage’s vitamins, aromatic oils, and tannins. It is better to drink your tea immediately or look for somewhere else to store it.

Take care of your stainless steel water bottle

To ensure that you can use your bottle for as long as possible, you should take proper care of it. And the best way to do this is to clean it regularly.

Fortunately, there are several ways to clean stainless steel bottles. For one, you could soak it in a distilled white vinegar solution. Alternatively, you could let it sit overnight in a mixture of water and baking soda.

And if worse comes to worst, you could use hydrogen peroxide – this will get rid of stubborn odors fast.

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