A student has posted a video to her social media warning her fans to take care when cleaning their water bottles after her bottle made her sick.
Taking to TikTok, the 19-year-old said she had given her mould-filled reusable container a clean, but forgot to take out the silicone stopper, which, she thinks, was the culprit for her illness. Kae, from Athens, Georgia, whose handle on the popular social media site is Kaebrie, detailed her ordeal in a video that has since gained more than 3.3 million views.
She said: "Hey, this is a PSA to anyone who owns an Owala. I got sick in August… I had a cold that, minor, you know? Lasted a week and then didn’t go away. Went to urgent care: bronchitis. Of course, they give me an inhaler and then some pills and I, of course, break out in hives as a result of the pills."
However, her illness persisted for three weeks and she noted that her bronchitis took "longer than it should to go away," but then was struck down with a sinus infection. She explained that she went back to the urgent care and got another course of antibiotics, which allowed her about a week and a half of feeling well, before becoming ill again.
A cold that lasted several weeks progressed to the "worst sore throat of my life". This prompted a fourth visit to urgent care and she said that the doctor was shocked at what he found, saying: “Oh, my goodness. It’s a really angry throat — are you in pain?" Another course of antibiotics followed again and decided that she was going to clean her water bottle and was horrified at what she found.
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Kae took to Google and was horrified to find she had been missing a crucial bit of cleaning (kaebrie/TikTok)She said that she knew she didn't clean the bottle as much as she should and that it was "full of bacteria". But after cleaning the container and the lid, which she Googled for advice on how to do it properly, she found that people on forums such as Reddit said the silicone piece of her water bottle had to be removed.
When she took it out, to her horror she found that the stopper was "covered in mould" which had gone in deep to the silicone. She bought a new one on Amazon and that seemed to solve the problem. She told her followers: "Once I cleaned it… got better. Haven’t gotten sick since… I had mould poisoning from my water bottle."
Owala’s website instructs people on how to clean their bottles, including the lids, even recommending daily cleaning and the company sells special cleaning tablets at £7.88 ($9.99), and a bottle brush for £10.25 ($12.99).
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The company's website says: "All lids are top-rack dishwasher safe and designed for easy cleaning. The spout gasket should be removed by using the convenient pull tab and cleaned separately. A sponge or straw brush can be used to access the nook or smaller spaces. Soaking the parts in distilled white vinegar beforehand will help break up build-up in inaccessible areas."
In a statement, the company said: "One of the standout features of Owala bottles and tumblers is that they are designed to be easy to clean. The spout gasket, straw, and other parts are easily removable for thorough cleaning. Customers are welcome to reach out to our customer service team with any questions or concerns at customerservice@owalalife.com."
Many of the commenters on the video explained they had fallen foul of the same problem, with one saying: "Me with a swollen lymph node for 6 months sipping my Owala," while another complained: "Why do they make water bottles so hard to wash." And another added: "Oh my god... I’ve never been more sick than I have the last 6 months. I have that exact Owala I’m drinking now."
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