Water and bottles like a cool, dark place (whether full or empty). Drain small amounts of water left in the bottles and only order what you intend using within weeks where possible. Check the Best Before date on the lid and use them in order.
Also make sure your dispenser is not exposed to heat and too much light, let alone sun! If you consider these things, no cleaning should be necessary.
The only healthy way to get rid of algae is to use a natural non residual algaecide commonly found in the home like vinegar and bicarb which are also foods. If you just use detergent, algae will grow back. If it grows in your tap for example, it will spread in time to your dispenser and bottle. If the tap needs cleaning, it can be unassembled and soaked in a small container.
Also check your drinking bottle which might not always have ideal conditions, following you around! I use a glass bottle with a cushioning cover which I can easily check if it is clean. Stainless steel is also good as it is non-porous but can heat up more easily.
More detail:
Algae spores are all around us and are just waiting for the right conditions to photosynthesise and bloom into life. Light, heat and stillness allows algae to grow and our water and bottles can create the perfect environment for this to happen.
Here at Heart Spring, we go to great lengths to bring our delicious water to you within days of it being under the earth, all the while keeping it dark and cool. Our water is alive, and we understand that we need to take extra care to get it to you as close as possible to the way it flowed from the spring.
Most people have heard of algae superfoods such as Spirulina, which is sourced from New Zealand freshwater lakes, however you do not want algae in your water as it could deteriorate into unfriendly forms in time, usually once it turns brown.
Did you know that real water is a fresh food? That is, if it is not treated with chlorine or undergoes other processes that remove most of the good stuff that our bodies need – living water is so much better for you.
If you apply the same hygiene standards to water as any living food or drink you can keep yourself and your family healthy. Consuming spring water allows us to enjoy water as nature intended, with all the healthy life-giving properties it contains.
Chlorine is one of the best algaecides, but it is also harmful to the microbiome of both water and our bodies. In 1861, Louis Pasteur got us afraid of germs and has infected our thinking ever since even though it is now scientifically acknowledged that we are mainly “germs” (micro-organisms).
Some microscopic creatures—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses—have the capacity to make you ill. What you may not realise is that trillions of microbes are living in, and on, your body right now, looking after you. In fact, they help you digest food and protect you against infection, for example.
It is a sign of life that Heart Spring water, given the right conditions may grow algae in your dispenser, inside the tap or in the bottles.
As we move into the hotter months, the chances of algae blooming in bottles left in the sun or even exposed to light and heat increases, especially when small amounts of water are left in them increases.
If you would like to discuss anything, we would love to hear from you next time you pop in.