You’ve come back from a long unassisted trail run, and when you empty out your pack that you’ve been carrying the last 20 miles, you notice black mold on the inside of your bladder is really starting to build up. You’ve ignored this problem for the past few months, but it’s starting to get really bad… what’s the best way to get rid of this stuff to make your bladder brand spankin’ new again?

Well lucky for you I have three solutions, all of which are quick and painless.

1. Use the product that was made for this problem: Camelbak Cleaning tablets. While the most expensive solution provided (but seriously folks, 8 tabs cost 10 bucks… you aren’t that cheap are you?), this is probably one of the easiest solutions. It’s like from a television infomercial: just drop in the tab in a bladder half full of water, and let the tab do the rest. It creates a foam that eats away at all the grunge and grime that has been building up in your bladder for the last few months (or if you are like me, the last few years!). The tabs use Chlorine Dioxide which isn’t harmful to you (though I don’t suggest you get the tabs like skittles), and it can clean a 100 ounce bladder.
2. Use denture cleaning tablets. Yep, just go into your grandfather’s medicine cabinet, steal a few of these babies, and just follow the same instructions as if they were Camelbak Cleaning tablets. They are very easy to use, and you’ll have a clean bladder in no time. Plus you’ll save yourself a couple of bucks if that is what you are looking for.
3. Use a mixture of bleach and water. Works just as well as the first two suggestions above, but make sure you rinse especially well! Nobody wants to get a few miles down the trail and get a sip of bleach and water… trust me, I wouldn’t recommend it! This solution of bleach and water is actually fool-proof as long as you rinse well. Just submerge your bladder and tube in the mixture for about 90 minutes, and for the last time, rinse well! This solution works just as well as the above two.

For cleaning out the tube, where a lot of the mold seems to call home, the Camelbak brush specifically made for the purpose of cleaning out the tube, works great. If not feel free to use pipe cleaners, which also seem to get the job done. Bleach and water in the tube will also perform well, as stated above.

Drying the bladder is the easy part: while you can use the instrument that looks like a ribcage made for the specific purpose of drying the bladder, a coat hanger works just fine. Fit the coat hanger inside the bladder and hang it up next to a window or an A/C vent, as a slight breeze will help dry out the bladder quicker.

Hopefully you now have the wonderful knowledge and expertise to get your Camelbak bladder back in shape… after all, these bladders are simply made to last. If you don’t believe me, check out this video where folks at Camelbak blow up a bladder the size of a beach ball (no, I don’t work for Camelbak, I just love their products):

Enjoy!

Do you have any better suggestions on how you clean out your bladder? We’d love to hear it!