The Dirty Truth About Reusable Water Bottles in 2024: Why They’re Getting Replaced Fast

You’ve probably seen those shocking videos online—the ones where people discover mold hiding in their reusable water bottles, especially in hard-to-clean spots like straws and lids. Gross, right? We wanted to dig deeper and get an accurate picture of what’s really going on with reusable bottle usage. So, we set out to gather some fresh data on how people are using (and replacing) their bottles, and what issues they’re running into.

Here’s what we did: in August 2024, we teamed up with Statista, a global leader in data, to survey over 3,000 Americans aged 21-60. The survey ran from August 28th to September 5th, covering people from all across the US. After crunching the numbers, we’ve uncovered some fascinating insights—and we’re excited to share them with you.

Let’s break it down.

The key takeaways from the results that we received from this survey were:

• 85% of Americans own and use a reusable water bottle

• Americans own on average four reusable water bottles

• 51% replace their reusable water bottle within the first year and
  32% replace their reusable water bottle within the first 6 months

• 40% replace their reusable water bottle due to odors or hygiene concerns

• 56% agree that cleaning reusable water bottles is difficult and time consuming

• Of the Americans who don’t use reusable water bottles, 29% stated that the main reason they didn’t use them was because they preferred the taste of bottled water

We didn’t just focus on one area—we wanted to hear from people all over the country to make sure we were getting the full picture. By reaching out to respondents from every region, we gathered insights that reflect how Americans across the country feel about reusable water bottles.

We kicked things off by asking how many people actually own and use reusable water bottles. The result? A massive 85% of respondents said they’re using one. Not too shocking given the push for sustainability, but what’s wild is how many bottles the average person owns. Turns out, Americans have an average of four reusable bottles. And here’s the kicker—36% of people own five or more! It seems like people love variety—potentially one for the office, another for the gym, and maybe a third for weekend adventures. This statistic suggests that owning a single bottle isn’t enough for most people, perhaps due to different functions, styles, or even aesthetics. There’s a bottle for every occasion—commuting, the gym, and everything in between.

Key stat: 85% of Americans own and use reusable water bottles, and they own an average of 4 bottles each.

Here’s where things get interesting (and a bit concerning). Despite being marketed as reusable and sustainable, most people don’t hold onto their bottles for very long. Over half of users (51%) replace their reusable water bottle within the first year, and a surprising 32% replace their bottles within the first six months.

Why? Well, a huge factor seems to be hygiene. A whopping 40% of people replace their bottles due to odors or concerns about cleanliness. We’re talking moldy straws, funky smells and hard-to-reach spots that just never seem to get fully clean.

Key stat: 51% of people replace their reusable water bottles within the first year, and 32% within six months, largely due to hygiene issues.

If you thought people only replace their bottles because of wear and tear, think again. The top reason? 40% of users replace their bottles because of odors or hygiene concerns. People don’t want to drink from something that smells off, and fair enough!

But beyond that, some users are looking for an upgrade or just want something new—22% of respondents said they replaced their bottle because they wanted a fresh one, while 8% mentioned damage as their reason for switching.

Key stat: 40% of people replace their bottle due to odors and hygiene concerns.

It turns out cleaning these bottles is more of a headache than we thought. 56% of respondents said that cleaning their reusable bottles is difficult and time-consuming. While we’ve all seen the horror stories on social media about mold lurking in the hidden parts of a water bottle it is probably not just random click bait but likely a commonly experienced issue. It’s clear that while reusable bottles are a step toward sustainability, the effort it takes to keep them clean is causing some serious frustration.

Key stat: 56% of reusable bottle users agree that cleaning them is difficult and time-consuming.

With 85% of people on board the reusable bottle train, what’s stopping the other 15%? According to our survey, 29% of non-users say it’s because they prefer the taste of bottled water. Yep, bottled water still has that appeal. Following closely, 22% say they just don’t want to carry one around, and 13% aren’t interested in dealing with the cleaning part.

Key stat: 29% of non-users prefer the taste of bottled water, and 22% don’t want the hassle of carrying one around.

There’s no denying that reusable water bottles are a big part of daily life for most Americans, but these stats reveal that there are some real pain points too. The rapid replacement cycle, driven by cleanliness concerns, might be an opportunity for the reusable water bottle industry to rethink their product designs.

A focus on making these bottles easier to clean as well as carry concerns could really shake things up helping to shift more people toward reusable hydration habits and minimising the waste and replacement cycle.

At the end of the day, while the movement toward reusable water bottles is clearly gaining momentum, there’s still work to be done to make them easier to use—and keep!

Do you agree with the results? Is there any question you think we should ask reusable water bottle users for our next survey?

Let us know at support@evervessel.com