Turns out we're not washing our drink bottles NEARLY enough as we should be!

*Warning* - this contains a truth that you probably won't want to hear but it's oh so important.

We take our water bottles to the gym, to work and basically everywhere else, but it turns out we aren’t washing them enough.

US publication Bustle recently looked into how often we should wash our drink bottles, and it is more often than you would think … by A LOT.

Speaking to microbiologist and senior research officer of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Dr Celeste Donato, they discovered we should be washing them after every use.

That’s right, they suggest that due to the bacteria that can make their way to our drink bottles, it's safer to wash it every day.

"Your mouth can contain viruses and bacteria that can enter your water bottle as you drink and backwash from your mouth goes back into the bottle or from saliva around the rim," Dr. Donato told Bustle, adding that most of our bacteria won't make us sick, but they can under "some circumstances".

From handrails on public transport and door handles in public toilets, we pick up bacteria and viruses on our hands and these can make their way to your bottle when you pick it up.

The best thing to do is simply toss it into the dishwasher at the end of every day if it is dishwasher safe or use a clean scrub brush and hot, soapy water.

And if you are really particular, use a toothbrush to get into all those corners and crevices.

We've found a genius way to clean the icky stuff from your bottle on TikTok. Check the video out below! 

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