Okay, so I’ve been messing around with bottled water lately, you know, the kind you buy from the store. I wanted to see how long this stuff actually lasts before it goes bad, or if it even goes bad at all.
Starting Out
First, I grabbed a bunch of different brands of bottled water from the grocery store. Different sizes, different types of plastic, the whole nine yards. I made sure to grab some that said “spring water,” some that said “purified,” and even some that just said “drinking water.” I wanted a good mix to experiment with.
The Experiment Begins
I stored all these bottles in my garage. It’s not exactly climate-controlled, so it gets pretty hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I figured this would be a good way to test how the water holds up under different conditions. Some bottles, I put in a cooler just to see if that made any difference.
Checking In
Every few months, I’d go out and check on the water. I’d open a bottle from each batch and take a sip. I was mainly looking for any weird tastes or smells. I also kept an eye on the bottles themselves, checking for any cracks or leaks. One time, I noticed that some of the bottles that were exposed to direct sunlight were starting to warp a little. The plastic was getting kind of soft. So, I moved those into the shade.
Observations
- Taste: Honestly, most of the water tasted fine, even after a year. There were a couple of bottles that had a slightly “plasticky” taste, especially the ones that had been in the sun.
- Smell: No major changes in smell. Nothing that made me gag or anything.
- Bottle Integrity: Most of the bottles held up pretty well. Like I said, the ones in the sun got a little warped, but no leaks. I did notice that the really cheap, thin plastic bottles were more likely to get crinkled and dented.
What I Learned
Well, from what I can tell, bottled water doesn’t really “expire” in the way that, like, milk does. It’s not going to make you sick if you drink it after a long time. But, the plastic can start to break down and leach some chemicals into the water, especially if it’s exposed to heat or sunlight. That can affect the taste, and probably isn’t great for you in the long run. Oh, and I found out that if the bottle says it’s from a “community water system” and it doesn’t say “purified” or “sterile,” it’s basically just tap water.
My Takeaway
If you’re going to store bottled water for a long time, keep it in a cool, dark place. And maybe don’t keep it forever. It is not a bad idea to rotate your stock every year or so, just to be safe. Also, those fancy stainless steel bottles are probably a better idea than using the same plastic bottle over and over again. Those cheap plastic ones can get nasty with bacteria and stuff.
This whole thing was a fun little experiment. I even kept doing this experiment for over two years, it makes me feel like I’m doing something important, even though it’s just messing around with water bottles. Now I know a little bit more about what I’m drinking. It’s pretty interesting stuff if you think about it. It also reminds me that drinking water safety is really no joke. I live in the U.S. and we are blessed to have some of the safest drinking water supplies in the world.
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