How To Clean Platypus Water Bag

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We have several Platypus hydration bladders, and after each use we wash them with hot soapy water and rinse them out, then hang them upside down to dry. But they never get quite completely dry inside. Any suggestions?

Steve .

Member

@pappekak
Locale: Tralfamadore

Hair drier?

After a cleaning and draining as much as possible, I put mine – upright and uncapped – on the back seat of my car while it's parked outside, windows up, at work. 1 – 2 days of this is usually all that's needed to get them completely dry.

But YMMV, I live in California and can count on sunshine (and therefore a hot car interior) for much of the year.

The hoses take longer, often 4 or 5 days. I remove the mouth piece and drape them over the back of a front seat with one of the openings as near the top of the seat as possible (think upside-down "J").

Steve

No, hair dryer won't work — simply because a Platy has just one narrow opening.

There are several options, ranging from simple/slow to a elaborate/fast.

Simple/Slow:

1. Wash and rinse.
2. Place upside down on dish rack for a bit to drain out as much as possible.
3. Set right side up outdoor or near window — but NOT in direct sunlight (bad for the plastic) — and let remaining water evaporate out.

Speed – 1 full day in low to moderate humidity, 2-3 days otherwise

Elaborate/Faster:

1 and 2 – same as above
3. Get an el cheapo aquarium pump at Wally World ($9 for a double nozzle pump), connect aquarium tubing to pump and insert the other end all the way to the bottom of the upright Platy. Continuous airflow will dry the bladder much faster.

Speed – overnight — even indoors. The thing I like most about this method is that you can also "splice" your hydration tubing in between, so both hydration tubing and Platypus bladder are dried together!

Intensive/Fastest:

1 and 2 – same as above
3. Straighten out a wire hanger and tape strips of first-aid cloth bandage along the wiring. Fold one end into a "J". Insert wiring into bladder and swab dry. The "J" angle will reach all nooks and corners.

Speed: 3 quick minutes (not counting the time spent on making the wire hanger contraption).

Are they the Big Zip version? If so, just jam a towel in them to dry. A lot of folks also toss them in a freezer to keep any mildew at bay.

These are some great ideas, especially yours, Ben. Thanks everyone.

Aug 18, 2007 at 12:00 pm #1399124

Einstein X

BPL Member

@einsteinx
Locale: The Netherlands

Uhm I just hang mine upside down with two clothespins on my clothesline. Same with the hose: pull mouthpiece off, whirl around hard for a minute or so (mind that you don't hit anything/anyone in the room) and hang on clothesline.

Eins

Aug 18, 2007 at 12:21 pm #1399125

Mike Barney

Member

@eaglemb
Locale: AZ, the Great Southwest!

Agree w/ X . I shake mine out, then blow it up and hang it outside. Drain the hose, into the near sun. About a 2 hrs in AZ right now and it's pretty dry.

YMMV
Mike B

I had the same problem. Try this (as Ben has already suggested): http://www.backpackingvideos.com/dryinghydrationsystems.htm

http://www.backpackingvideos.com/dryinghydrationsystems.htm

Jason how do you access the video. I can't find one on the page.

The link works on my PC. I suspect some control or another in your browser is preventing the video from downloading/playing.

Great video! A demo says a thousand words! Just one suggestion — cut a longer tube and stand the Platy upright with the walls pulled out as much as possible. I believe this speeds up water evaporation.

Mike Barney

Member

@eaglemb
Locale: AZ, the Great Southwest!

The video also works for me using IE 7.0

If you really want to dry one fast, you could use a compressor set for a very low pressure with a short 1/4" hose off the end of a 'handi-nozzle'.

MikeB

Can you post a demo video too? :)

Donna C

BPL Member

@leadfoot
Locale: Middle Virginia

Sorry, but I used a hair dryer on mine and it worked just fine. You have to be patient, but it dried.

Good to know, Donna. Curious, what kind of Platypus are you using? How long did it take to dry? Thanks in advance.

I second the freezing method….im constantly using bladder systems due to the job. Im actually a fan of camelbaks but the concept is the same between them and a platy. Figure the reason your trying to dry it in the first place is to prevent mildew right? well instead of going through all the trouble yall have been describing why not just toss them in the freezer? As long as you NEVER EVER!! EVER use anything other than water in the bladder you should be good..but once you make the mistake of adding something your just asking for trouble ive found. One reason i like camelbak is they also make "anti mildew" bladders and you can use a cleaning agent if you really feel the need. ME…ive been using the same bladder for years now and just empty it roll it up and stick it in the freezer when im done..works for me allright

Donna C

BPL Member

@leadfoot
Locale: Middle Virginia

I use the 2 liter with the small opening. I guess it took about 15 minutes. I shook most of the water out and kept it upside down while I blew dried it. But, if I had a choice, I would try Jason's method.

I really like Camelback or Nalgene bladders. But the Platy fits so well on the outside pocket of my pack. I may try the zip style Platy next when this eventually wears out.

Thanks, Donna.

I too have agonized over the Zip style platy's — wouldn't it be nice to reach in and clean/dry the thing in almost no time flat?

But the thing I am leery about is that the hose must be connected to the bladder at all times! What's with that? Dragging the hose assembly along with the bladder down the river bank to get water — I just know that I'll get dirt and gunk on the tubing and bite valve each and every time!

Maybe Zip platy users can throw in some pointers and /or work arounds…

Hi Bill, the video should be right in the middle of the page. You can't miss it so it might be a browser issue. Try watching it on youtube here:

Donna C

BPL Member

@leadfoot
Locale: Middle Virginia

Ben-
I'm not sure about the hose always being attached. I ran into a couple of hikers at a shelter recently who had 6 of those puppies and none had the hose attached in camp. They had them filled and capped off with a regular cap, I'm assuming made by Platy. They only hosed the one being used on the trail. Maybe others here know more about it.
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