UKC

What's the best way to do it? How do you clean the tube? Are there any particularly good poducts for this? There's all sorts of funny coloured mank in it at the moment, and although it doesn't seem to make the water taste bad, it just isn't nice looking at the state of what I'm drinking from! Any advise much appreciated.

In reply to bullwinkle:

i'd like to know too?!

In reply to bullwinkle: Take it apart, give it a good pull through with some wire and cloth and then soak all the bits and the bag in something like steradent or Milton fluid before giving it a good rinse and air dry.

In reply to bullwinkle: have you got balck stuff in the pipe, ive just left mine, and never been ill.

In reply to bullwinkle:

I've had the same problem. Couldn't clean the tube after letting it soak in soapy water, so I don't use it any more! And I did try using a wire brush.

In reply to Wilbur: .......never use 2 in 1 shampoos as it ruins the waterproofing of their fur. A good furniture polish on the bill should suffice.

In reply to bullwinkle: If you think its worth it, Platypus do a cleaning kit which may be found sold alongside other spares like tubes etc. They charge for it though.

In reply to bullwinkle:

I've got a bit of black gunk in my 2 week ok camelbak and have scrubbed it with a cloth back home, but its still there, so I'll be leaving it there... and that was after milton etc...

In reply to Removed User:


And for those 'problem' stains, try using an echidna as a pull-through.

In reply to bullwinkle:
Sigg and Camelbak both do cleaning kits for about £10. I've never seen a Platypus equivalent, but they probably exist.

In reply to Anonymous:

Dont know if this is of interest but after scottish winter climbing this year - the tube on my platypus has self cleaned. Was pretty manky on inside from High 5 etc. Think that the freeze/thaw action after a week cleaned it. You could simulate the conditions in the freezer at home?? Dont fill the tube completely. Its free at least. Wouldnt recommend the wire brush as it will scour the lining making it very diffiult to clean in the future at he very least.

If the tube is very bad then get some tubing from your hardware shop at fraction of the price of platypus replacement.

In reply to denis b:
Wire coat hanger, undo it, hey presto a cleaning kit. Stick it down tube to get worst of the back crap out, wash in milton!
Top tip, once you come back from trip, rinse and store in freezer, it will never grow mold!

In reply to Anonymous:

heres another top tip - only use it for water, and thoroughly dry it after use. If you must put sugary stuff in it, be prepared for the ming. Save the precious freezer space for ice cream and pizza.

I'm a biologist and i say that anything thats still there after a good soak in milton is going to be deader than a guppy in a garlic press.

In reply to bullwinkle: You can use sodium bicarbonate/hydrogen carbonate solution (in the baking section of the supermarket). Should remove stains.

In reply to bullwinkle: Cleaning instructions for Platypus can be found on the packaging.
For routine cleaning use hot soapy water and then rinse through thoroughly with hot water.
For more thorough cleaning add 1/4 cup baking soda to Platy add 3/4 cup water.Shake the mix.Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Shake again and vent Platy by loosening the cap. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. If its a Big Zip prop the closure system open and leave to dry. If its a Hoser bottle hang it up to dry. (theres a gap at the base of the bottle between the base seam and the side seam, thread some string through it to make it easier to hang up)
Milton Fluid also works well. Leaving the Platy clean and in the freezer also helps to kill off any bugs.
Be aware that high energy drinks will cause many more cleaning/staining problems than water and sugar free drinks.
Regards Lindsay

In reply to Lindsay Abbotts:

Unfortunately the instructions don't mention how to clean the tube.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:Rinse thoroughly immediately after use(not 2 or 3 days later) Im still using the same Platy tube 3 times a week 3 years on and only rinsing and air drying it, its still clean but that may be the Peak District water!

In reply to Lindsay:

That's possibly the reason - regular use. If you use it for a week and then store it for a couple of months then it always seems to go manky - at least mine does

In reply to Lindsay: Ramm some cotton bud sticks down it, then swing it around your head till they fly out the other end thus having wiped the inside of the tube throughly on their way through.

CT @ Work.

In reply to Lindsay Abbotts: OK heres one for ya.... Used my Plat to drink pastice from at a big air contest in france this year, (Really good way to get hammered whilst walking ohhhing and ahhhhing etc).

However I am unable to get rid of the pastice taste, pretty rank when gasping for some pure, undefiled, clensing, water and get v weak pastice solution!

Have even left lemon juice in it for a fortnight to try an burn that annaseed out, no luck tho, any suggestions other than buy another plat?!!

In reply to Edd Brooks: Fill it with 3/4 whisky 1/4 water- it may still taste of pastis but you really wont care... Again the packaging does say that Platy can absorb some flavours- have you tried using the baking soda mix? that may work.

In reply to Lindsay: I like the way you think

I think it may just get renegated to the cocktail plat and buy a new one for the more original usage of water.

In reply to Edd Brooks: Funnily enough Platypus do an item called a Beverage Bar, a nylon covered case containing 4 x.5ltr bottles and labels for Rum, Tequila,Vodka and Whiskey(Irish product= Irish spelling )interested?

In reply to denis b:

This woon't work, as platypus use non standard diameter tubing. Cunning ploy to make you buy their own replacement tubes. Somehow I wonder if they know this problem exixsts???

In reply to bullwinkle:

the way i do it is to throw it away and use a lemonade bottle instead.
J.

In reply to bullwinkle:
I had a simmilar problem. Soapy water didn't work but a soak oxernight in a mild bleach solution did. I did it on two seperate occasions the first time the solution wasn't strong enough.
there is no aftertaste once it's thoroughly rinsed

In reply to bullwinkle: Just pop in a milton tablet each time you have used it (leaving it full of water, and squirting some out of the tube), then rinse out each time you want to use it. Simple as that!

In reply to bullwinkle:

a bit of 4 by 2 on a pullthrough?

In reply to bullwinkle:
Use Steradent tablets (the denture cleaning ones) and leave overnight. The aftertaste is less unpleasant than Miltons. They don't get rid of absolutely all the foul furry bits, but at least they're minty-fresh furry bits.

Alternatively, save yourself the grief & time and chuck out your Platypus tube every few months and buy a new one. Probably cheaper than buying the overpriced cleaning kit, too.

In reply to bullwinkle:

My mum bleached mine for me, came out lovely and clean.

In reply to bird: Platypus do not make a cleaning kit-you`re thinking of Camelback.

In reply to bird: Some gardening wire, a bit ripped of a jeye cloth and a steradent tab does the trick every time for me. Can't cost more than a couple of quid.

In reply to L.A.:
Potato, patato! Am increasingly finding that I have less inclination to faff about cleaning such items - even just putting steradent tablets in is becoming an effort. The good old Sigg bottle is seeing more and more use! Probably has got loads of unpleasant manky fur in, but with the massive upside that you can't see any of it. And everybody knows that what you can't see won't hurt you. Opaque black platypuses (platypii??), that's what you want. Then they wouldn't need cleaning.

In reply to bullwinkle:
I use mine about 3 times a month, i just fill with boiling water and run throught the tube after each use, no mold, no bugs and no nasty aftertaste. Been doing this for about 8 months and it's still as good as new.

In reply to bird: Just finished a three week trip with some red gunk in the tube; Bacteriologist sister-in-law says that this was bad sh*t!!

In reply to Removed User:
Apologies, was only being facetious. That's why I ended up chucking hydration system things out so frequently and reverted to the Sigg bottle, which is so much easier to clean and does not appear to have the same propensity for breeding new life forms.

In reply to bird:

a move in the direction of sanity.... but lemonade bottles are even better, and much cheaper, than sigg bottles.
J.

In reply to JJJJ.: Are you mental? Platypuses are gadgetry!!

In reply to Removed User:

well now, if i told you the screw top of the lemonade bottle was highly specified for outdoor use, and called it a TCOAC system, would that do?
J.

In reply to JJJJ.: See you've just went and used the "S" word. Does Tisos in Stirling have them?

In reply to Removed User:No try the co-op. the techie term to ask for is `irn bru`

In reply to Removed User:

think your best bet is Tesco. they have a range of styles and prices, though all feature the TCOAC system. you could go for respected makes like Schweppes, but i've been using tesco's own brand recently, and to be honest it seems to work just as well. then again, it doesn't have to be lemonade. tonic water also features the TCOAC system, and is very functional. bitter lemon is good too. whether you go for the big brand name or the cheaper alternative, they're all great value for money compared to the platypus, and the great thing to remember is that the first drink comes free with the bottle!
J.

In reply to bullwinkle:
for prevention, if you're not going to use it for a while, make a sanitizing solution: a couple of teaspoons of bleach to a pint of water. soak the bladder and tube in it for at least 20 minutes, empty, and put it away. ok if it's still wet.

If you already have gunk (especially black mold) you can make a stronger solution (4 to 8 teaspoons per pint) and soak overnight. will clean most things and kill everything.

the plastic taste comes from the tube, not the bladder. if you want to avoid it, blow water out of the tube back into the bladder whenever you're done drinking.

these instructions will work on any brand bladder.