I noticed that water bottles have expiration dates….
Composing members: 0 
16 Answers
Stuff starts growing in it, I think.
I know that if you use the same plastic water bottle for one or two weeks, it becomes smelly, the inside surface of the bottle will feel slimy, the water sticks to the inside evenly instead of leaving only loose drops, and if you look closely you notice the plastic looks a bit grainy instead of clear.
Those are the symptoms. I’m not sure what causes all of this, but suffice it to say it becomes a good idea to get a new one by that time.
If it hasn’t been opened yet, and it’s only a couple days (maybe even a week) after the date, it’s fine. My mom, who pays no attention to those dates on anything, says it’ll be alright for a couple months after that date. I don’t think so.
I’m gonna agree with mom on this one – especially as it hasn’t been opened yet.
It’s not the water that expires – it’s the bottle, particularly if the bottle is exposed to heat and light fluctuations. The plastic starts to break down, leeching chemicals into the water.
It evaporates.
Here is a great guide to expiration. You should perhaps share it with your mother, as she obviously needs SOME kind of governor. It’s sensible and give you a better idea of what the terms mean and how to use them.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/do-food-expiration-dates-matter
Oh, or perhaps…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+blob+clip&aq=f[youtube]
I forget which
I keep water bottles in storage in the basement where they are out of the light and relatively cool. I will drink them years after the date. I’ve also found a bottle or two in the safety kit in my car trunk well past (1 year) expiration and it tasted fine.
I do not throw expired food away unless it is bulging, the wrong color, or making sounds.
If you are afraid of it, use it to water some plants.
Chemicals leech from the plastic over time, so older bottled water will have a distinctive plastic smell and taste.
@worriedguy I would be less likely to drink old water from the trunk because of the temperature extremes.
Overall, I agree about bulging, the wrong color or making sounds. Oh, wait, you weren’t talking about laundry, were you?
I mentioned the car because it is sometimes hot, sometimes cold, sometimes frozen, but always in the dark and I lived to tell about it.
@ibstubro Old laundry does have a mind of its own.. Clearly it has the ability to reproduce and multiply.
I drink tap water. It never expires, it’s free and less plastic in the environment. It tastes fine to me. Every city is different, but improvements have been made over the years. Try some today, you may be surprised.
@Fyrius If you re-use the water container with, say, tap water, then the bottle should be washed with detergent and water (or similar) between uses. This will stop the other growths.;-)
Also, I agree with @Seek_Kolinahr.
@zen_ I recently discovered that my “well” is actually a ‘sand point’ across the road in a farm field. In other words I’m drinking ground/surface water from the corn field across the way. Bleh, spit. I currently waiting for the new water installation!
Or we could just filter our tap and carry a water bottle and be better people for having done it.
© 2009 Sierra Club Green Home. All Rights Reserved.
)
