Nowadays, water bottles with different materials are readily available in the market. They are classy, attractive, trendy and convenient too. But Are they as good as they look or they are just damaging your health unknowingly? Which water bottle is safe and most convenient to use? Which one is best for you?
From my own experiences and online research, I have found which water bottle is safe and most convenient by comparing various characteristics of Glass, Plastic, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Copper, and Earthen Bottle.
I am more than happy to share my story with you! So, shall we begin?
In This Article:
- Why I switched to glass bottle? – my own story
- Switching from plastic to glass- does it make any sense?
- My Honest Opinion – Is It Really Worth Using Glass Bottles Over Plastic?
- Which bottle is best for travelling?
- Infographic-Glass vs Plastic vs Stainless Steel vs Aluminium vs Copper vs Earthen Bottle
Why I Switched To Glass Bottle? – My Own Story
How many of us like to refill plastic cold drink bottles to store water in a fridge? People from cold continents like Europe and America may not understand the need of it. But it is a daily ritual in the continents like Asia and Africa, where people feel the need to drink cold water to get refreshed in hot and humid climate.
Being an Indian, even I used to follow this ritual every day since my childhood. Me and my dad was very much fond of drinking cold water every single day and every single time we felt thirsty. We still are!
At that time, people never used to buy special fancy bottles to store water in a fridge. They used to refill empty used bottles of sauce, cold drinks etc. with tap water. So, their fridge used to be full of such bottles with various shapes, colours and materials.
When plastic pet jars were a symbol of beauty!
Days passed, and newly launched plastic pet jars of 1.5 litre cold drink became a huge hit in the family gatherings. Even we used to have 1-2 bottles for every function. They were light weight, clear and handy. So, we started to collect them.
Most of the people used to keep them in a fridge to store water instead of throwing them. The concept of ‘Recycling’ was not even introduced in India at that time. And one day, our fridge door was full of these bottles. There was no more space left and finally our collection was ‘Complete’.
They really looked good. Same size, Same colour, same material and great storage capacity.
Years passed, we grew, but the bottles remained the same. Yes… we were using the same plastic bottles for years and never felt the need to throw or replace them!
We may have replaced 1-2 old scratched bottles with the similar new and shiny ones over a period of time, but overall it was all the same. It may sound weird to you, but it was a thing of pride to us – how we have taken care of them nicely and how beautiful they look together.
My journey from ‘Theory’ to ‘Practical’
One day, my USA based cousin came to our house. She was pregnant. When we offered her water, she politely refused saying, she doesn’t drink the water from plastic bottles anymore.
I felt it weird and kind of stupid. I mean, what difference does it make? Everyone uses plastic bottles. What’s wrong with that? And they are so good looking! We clean them regularly. They are not at all dirty. I never understood the problem and our ritual remained unchanged.
Days passed and as I joined the college, slowly the concept of recycling came to the picture. At least in India, it was just a concept. There was no awareness or seriousness about it.
Articles like ‘Why we shouldn’t use plastic mineral water / cold drink bottles’ didn’t made any difference. Such messages just kept on travelling from one mobile to another via whatsapp. But very few people actually cared.
At some point of time, we even gave a thought to replacing our plastic treasure with something else. But found no good and feasible alternative.
It was a time when I knew all about the sustainable and anti-plastic ‘Theory’ but it had nothing to do with my practical life.
And then I got married.
It was my first visit to the ‘Practical’ lab-Our kitchen!
I opened the fridge and it was full of bottles. Well, what’s new in that? Surprisingly, all of them were glass bottles. Big tomato sauce bottles. Thick glass, Labels removed, Super shiny and super heavy compared to my light weight plastic bottles.
But these glass bottles looked really classy. Even better than our Plastic treasure.
When I touched the bottle, it was chilled. I always used to drink directly from the bottle, but never felt the water that cold. I thought, maybe they have kept these bottles unused for a longer time.
It was impossible for me to drink directly from the bottle. So, I started using glass. Initially, it was a big task for me to get used to holding heavy bottle in hand and pouring the water in a glass.
But then slowly I got used to it. And I learnt many things which are worth sharing. So, here they are…
Switching From Plastic To Glass- Does It Make Any Sense?
First, just think about why we use or simply prefer plastic bottles over glass bottles:
We are scared to use glass:
Just admit it. Whenever we think about using a glassware, the first thing that comes to our mind is, ohhh…it’s too delicate to handle. What if I accidently break it?
Even a thought of breaking your classic glassware can give panic attack to many of us. Right?
I totally understand your concern as even I used to think just like you. I still do. Using glassware makes me nervous and sometimes even reduces the speed of my work as I try to hold everything very delicately.
But over the time, I have somehow managed to overcome my fear of handling glassware up to a certain level. But honestly, I still feel my hands little bit shaky when I wash glass bottle or other glassware.
Using a glassware could be dangerous if you have small kids at home. These small angels will try to grab a bottle and may get hurt if anything breaks/ falls accidently.
Whereas, plastic bottles are way too easy to handle. There is absolutely no doubt about it. They are strong, unbreakable and much lighter than glass bottles.
Glass is expensive and kind of limited edition:
True. If you compare it with plastic, glass is quite expensive to buy. Then what about reusing the empty glass bottles and jars? You can definitely use them.
But nowadays, very few selected products use glass containers as compared to earlier. I always wonder Why?
Plastic is cheap. In fact, in the current scenario, plastic bottles are so overused that they are almost everywhere.
I am not sure if a plastic bottle can break or get damaged easily unless you do something really stupid. And even if it breaks, finding another one is definitely not an issue. Right?
Then why a glass bottle is still the best choice?
-
It will never grow old:
Plastic bottles look awesome in the beginning. Clear and shiny. But as the time passes, with every use, it will start to get scratches and ultimately lose its clear transparency and beauty over a period of time.
But your elegant and sturdy clear glass bottle will look new every time you wash. It won’t die unless it gets broken and it will most probably shine for entire lifespan and won’t get any scratches unless you use any hard scrub for cleaning.
-
It won’t spoil the taste:
Have you ever kept/carried your fruit juice or milk shake in plastic or stainless-steel bottle for long time-like 5-6 hours? If yes, then I know what would have happened. It must have tasted different than earlier or kind of metallic. Right? But why? What happened?
Well, fruits are acidic in nature and they react with plastic or metal which gives them weird taste. But what about glass?
Your test buds are going to love this. Glass is taste-neutral, which means it does not have any chemical interaction with its contents which may cause unwanted changes in the colour and taste.
It also makes them last longer. That’s why wines and liquors are always stored in glass bottles.
Hmm…that’s impressive!
-
Chilling experience:
I have tried this experiment with my husband. We filled 2 bottles with pineapple juice and kept them in a fridge. One of them was plastic and another one was glass.After 1-2 hours, we took them out and started enjoying the juice from both the bottles. As the time span was very less, there was no change in the taste. But the juice from glass bottle was considerably far colder than the one in plastic.
So, if you really enjoy the chilled beverages, or want to make your food cold on urgent basis, give a thumb’s up to glass bottle.
-
It’s a healthy choice:
This is the most important thing. Cheap plastic bottles contain chemicals such as BPA, phthalate, PVC, or polycarbonate, that may leach into your drinking water and have been proven to be hazardous to human health.
In worst cases, it can cause birth defects and developmental disabilities in uterus and childhood. It can also cause cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even cancer etc. in adults.
On the other hand, glass bottles don’t contain any harmful chemicals that would get into the food. You can safely refill your glass bottle as much as you want for entire lifetime.
Last but not the least…
-
you are saving the planet:
I am not exaggerating. Your simple act can make a great difference. May not on the immediate basis, but it can surely create an impact in a long term.Plastics may lose some of their weight and needs complex procedure for recycling. Whereas, glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled Which means glass can be recycled completely without decreasing its weight.
In many countries, glass recycling facility is still not available. That’s why Recycling rate of the glass is surprisingly low. If you reuse/ promote glass, and create awareness about it, the companies may give a second thought to mass production and recycling of these bottles.
My Honest Opinion – Is It Really Worth Using Glass Bottles Over Plastic?
Initially it may look inconvenient and very difficult to get confidence of handling glass bottles as they are heavy and brittle. But trust me, within few days, you will get used to it.
Nowadays, glass bottles with a Silicon Grip are readily available for stronger grip.
Using plastic bottles may not cause any harm for small period of time, but you can definitely avoid long term side effects by using glass bottles.
If you have small kids at home, and you are afraid of them getting hurt with glass while playing, simply don’t let them play with it. You can create a distraction for them by keeping a nice, attractive, colourful good quality plastic/steel bottle specially for them. This way, they will most probably won’t show any interest in heavy and plain glass bottles.
If you are worried about the cost factor, it can be solved very easily.
There are various types of classy glass bottles available online which you can easily buy. Still if you don’t want to spend money on it immediately and start with the small, I am happy to help.
In our case, my husband used the big tomato sauce bottles which came ‘Free’ with the sauce. They look good too.
But just think… How long would it take to collect sufficient number of bottles? Even a small family would easily need 4-5 bottles and you can’t consume that much of sauce in one go!
It won’t be a problem if you are patient about it and believe in collecting one bottle at a time. But if you are super impressed with this article and have gone crazy about replacing your entire plastic bottle collection with the glass overnight, there is a solution.
Just go to the nearby junk and scrap dealer or a flea market. Ask for such glass bottles, and you may end up with nice and economical deal. My husband got them for just Rs.5! Haha!
Once you have got the bottles, just remove the labels and wash them thoroughly with soap and hot water and bingo! They will be ready at your service.
Our collection is complete, and we are proud of it.
So, it’s definitely worth giving it a try.
If you are still not sure, you can make a difference… One bottle at a time.
And if you are already convinced… What are you waiting for?
Say Hi to glass bottles!
Which Bottle Is Best For Travelling?
How many of us carry glass bottles while travelling?
It’s easy to keep a glass bottle in your fridge. But what about carrying it in your purse or backpack while travelling?
It’s super hard. It’s simply not practical. What if it accidently gets hit while travelling?
Ohh no! That would be too bad!
Your bag will get flooded with liquid and sharp broken glass pieces. How would you clean this mess and keep your other items safe? So, It’s mostly a Big NO NO to use glass bottles while travelling, especially during the over- crowded journey.
Also, glass containers are not allowed in some places like pools, schools, sporting events, gym, etc. which makes it hard to use everywhere.
Whereas, plastic bottles are handy and less risky to carry in your purse or backpack. They are lightweight, strong and kind of unbreakable. There is no 100% guarantee for their strength, but they can mostly survive depending upon the area of your travel.
In India, due to its huge population, overcrowded public transportation and urgency to reach the destination, it is possible to break even the plastic bottles very easily while travelling.
Especially in Mumbai (financial capital of India), everyone is always in a hurry. This city never stops running. You can literally get crushed in the overcrowded local trains. And your bottles can too.
So, is there any other reliable material?
Nowadays, water bottles with different materials like copper, stainless steel, aluminium and earthen etc. are easily available online.
But which one is best for you? Aren’t you confused?
So, let’s begin the battle of the bottles!
Glass vs Plastic vs Stainless Steel vs Aluminium vs Copper vs Earthen Bottle
Spoiler- Don’t miss the infographic at the end of this article to explain you everything in a single glance.
Let’s understand the strengths and weaknesses of all these materials.
Glass Bottle:
We have already seen many advantages and disadvantages of the glass bottles in detail. Now it’s time for a quick recap.
Pros:
- Looks classy
- Good to store acidic (curd, fruit juice, pickle etc), hot as well as cold beverages
- Do not leach toxins or cause change in the taste
- Do not hold odour
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
- Looks new for longer time
- Increases shelf life of the content without changing its properties. That’s why spirits and wine are bottled in glass.
- Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity. An estimated 80% of recovered glass containers are made into new glass bottles. A glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as little as 30 days.
Cons:
- Slightly expensive
- Heavy weight
- Breaks easily
- Needs careful handling
- Difficult to carry / transport
- Not allowed to carry in some places
Plastic Bottle:
Pros:
- Easily available
- Good for temporary packaging
- Light weight
- Easy to carry and transport
Cons:
- Looks cheaper
- Not good for long term storage
- Not good to store acidic and hot beverages
- Leaches toxins
- Changes taste of the food
- BPA-free or not, plastic products that show physical signs of damage or aging cannot be considered safe
- Holds odour
- Most reusable plastic containers and bottles are dishwasher-safe, but disposable plastics are not.
- Not good for environment
Stainless Steel Bottle:
Pros:
- Looks stylish
- Easy to stack, carry and transport
- Highly durable
- Can be used to store hot as well as cold beverages
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not good for acidic beverages
- Changes taste
- Not microwave safe
- Vulnerable to dents
Aluminium Bottle:
Most of the times, people get confused between stainless steel and aluminium bottle as they look quite similar.
The simplest thing to differentiate between two is the neck of the bottle. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but generally aluminium bottle has narrower neck as compared to stainless steel bottles.
So, next time, just concentrate on the neck, and you would be easily able to guess the material.
Pros:
- Looks stylish
- Easy to carry
- Light weight
Cons:
- Slightly expensive
- Dents easily
- Not good to store hot and acidic beverages
- Changes taste of the food
- Holds odour
- Not Microwave/ dishwasher safe
- Difficult to clean due to narrow neck
- Generally comes with a plastic liner that may contain BPA and can get damaged over time.
Copper Bottle:
Copper pot has been used in India since ages. Now with the various eye catchy and handy copper bottle designs available in online stores, it has become easier to follow the steps of our ancestors in today’s fast moving world.
Pros:
- Looks unique
- Durable
- There are many amazing health benefits of drinking water in a pure copper vessel.
- Storing water in copper bottle for over 8 hours can kill pathogens like bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause many water borne.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not good for storing acidic beverages
- Holds odour
- Excessive copper intake can result in copper toxicity – nausea, vomiting, abdominal and muscle pain. Hence, storing water in a copper vessel for too long, or consuming too much of water regularly should be avoided.
- Copper stains and darkens over a period of time due to Oxidation. Hence, copper bottle needs regular cleaning to keep it shiny and good looking.
Earthen Bottle:
With growing awareness about eco-friendly materials and sustainable-zero waste living, traditional clay pots made from the natural clay are once again becoming trendy as a cost-effective alternative to traditional refrigerator.
And the best thing is that, even clay bottles are readily available in the markets nowadays, which are much more handy than traditional clay pots.
Pros:
- Eco friendly
- Suitable for cold, hot and acidic beverages
- Keeps the water cool naturally
Cons:
- Looks bulky
- Heavy weight
- Difficult to carry while travelling
- May leak from bottom
- Breaks easily
- Holds odour
- Not microwave / dishwasher safe
Comparison between Stainless Steel, Glass, Plastic, Aluminium, Copper and Earthen bottle
Conclusion:
To store water at home: Nothing can beat glass from food safety as well as environmental point of view. In case you are afraid to use it, Silicon Grip can minimize the risk of dropping it accidently.
Earthen bottle / vessel is a good and cost-effective option for hot and arid regions to keep water cool naturally.
Although pure copper has many health benefits, it’s best to use it with care to avoid any side effects.
Stainless steel is the best option for travelling, camping or during any other adventurous activities.
Using plastic bottles is not at all good for your health. So, don’t even think about it.
Have you tried any of these bottles? What was your experience? I am sure everyone would love to hear it from you.
Don’t just stop here.
There is so much more to explore… Hop on it NOW!
Have you tried our Picture Quotes?
References: