Here’s why refilling your water bottle could be making you SICK

THOSE of us who choose to refill our water bottles may want to take a second thought.

You may be keeping hydrated, but sipping from a refilled water bottle isn’t the best idea.

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reports that the water bottles we’re casually refilling are covered in germs.

The research, provided by , even goes as far as saying that “drinking water from a bottle that’s already been used is as bad for you as licking your toilet.”

Yuck.

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Researchers tested reusable water bottles for bacteria after each had been used by an athlete for a week.

Worryingly, the bottle with the highest number of germs had more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

Apparently, our grim bottles are caused by not washing them enough, combined with sweat and all the daily germs we encounter.

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Even worse, researchers found that 60% of the germs found were bad enough to make you ill.

But, there are things you can do to make your water bottles less gross.

Slide-top bottles are most likely to become germ-ridden, while squeeze top and screw-top bottles weren’t as bad.

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The cleanest bottles to go for are ones with straw-tops, if you want to play it extra safe,

Stainless steel bottles are also healthier to drink from than plastic bottles – so it may be worth investing in a slightly pricier alternative.

And make sure you give your new bottle plenty of washes between each use, to be on the safe side…