I was recently given a free bottle of Highland Spring water when I walked past the VisitScotland shop in London. On the bottle it clearly states that re-use is not recommended because of the risk of bacterial growth [I paraphrase].
Most sources on the internet currently seem to support this idea, however a few minutes on google can actually turn up evidence in favour of washing and refilling. If it’s not safe to re-use bottles, then presumably it should not be safe to re-use mugs or glasses either – and you don’t necessarily drink directly from the bottle. [There is also a concern about potentially carcinogenic plasticiser migration from well-used bottles, so only PET bottles should be re-used.]
The idea of buying water has always seemed slightly odd, when we live in a country where it falls out of the sky on such a regular basis. On the other hand, having seen the soot-soaked raindrops that sometimes fall on my laundry, I’m not totally prepared to drink it neat.
We have a well in our back garden, but we’ve never tried the water. Instead we use tap water and a brita filter. After all, we already pay for the water that comes through our taps, and the added health benefits of natural mineral water are as dubious as the claims that it is organic.
September 14, 2005
Not a drop to drink
I do find it rather convenient, in 500ml form however.
Self-confessed bottled water drinker. Difficult habit to break. Perhaps I should invest in one of those Brita gizmos and see if it helps.
You can’t get decent carbonated water in this country either.
DrP, What is decent sparkling water? Most of it seems fine to me, but if I am drinking the wrong stuff and no one told me …
Brita filters are excellent for getting rid of that horrible chlorinated taste you get with water from the tap. They also reduce the amount of limescale in water which means you don’t get that rather attractive film on your cup of tea. Nor do you have to descale your kettle so regularly.
Oh, I’m sure it’s exactly the same. It’s just a symptom of being a bottled water drinker. I like to pretend I can taste the difference.
But since you ask, I think Theodora is a pretty fine tasting water. Just look at those bubbles…
I’ll keep a look out for it. Actually I find Perrier is surprisingly quite nice as sparkling water goes.
You can’t get that out of a tap!
I’m sure it’s soemthing to do with the day of reckoning when the water out of the taps starts tio bubble.
And yay when Perrier be plumbed into thy place of dwelling, there shall ye fall (Aquaticus, 14:9)