I loved my water bottle — until I looked inside the straw: 'Shocked'

Nov 12, 2023

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I would be sooo happy if this is the reason I have been sick for 3 years so I can finally get an answer and get better🤞🏻 PSA that probably everyone already knows, you have to clean the straw in your water bottle😳😳 I forgot to explain in the video, I only use my drink bottle on weekdays so maybe that's why I don't get sick on weekends and I have often not used it for months at a time which could be when I was feeling better?? Please note, @frankgreen_official clearly state on the their website to wash all parts of the bottle each time you use it, so this is 100% my own fault for not reading or using common sense🫣

♬ original sound – Tribe Skincare

Well, this sucks.

Tribe Skincare founder Kayla Houlihan said she was horrified to find a deluge of mold inside the stainless steel straw for her Frank Green reusable water bottle, documenting her gross discovery in a TikTok that has drawn 1.6 million views this week.

Houlihan, 32, claims she had been sick on and off for almost three years, noting her illnesses coincided with her use of the bottle.

She said it wasn't until her sister asked if she cleaned the straw that she even thought about what could be lurking inside.

"I’m absolutely shocked by what I’ve just seen," the Australian woman admits in the clip. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

Houlihan, who started her vegan beauty brand in 2017, admitted she had never thought about cleaning the straw because she "only drinks water from it."

She was unprepared for "chunks of black mold" inside it.

The skincare founder assured viewers no one else was to blame for the sick revelation.

She confessed she didn't use any "common sense" and noted the manufacturer recommends regularly washing the bottle on its website.

"I know this is 100% my fault," she said in a follow-up clip. "It's common knowledge that you clean your drink bottle straw, but I guess I missed the memo."

The Post reached out to reps for Houlihan and Frank Green for comment.

The discovery of some unwanted extra flavor in your bottle isn't as uncommon as you might think.

A recent study from US-based Waterfilterguru.com found reusable bottles can harbor 40,000 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat — drawing comparisons to a "portable petri dish."

But don't worry just yet. University of Reading microbiologist Dr. Simon Clarke said while reusable water bottles can accumulate a lot of germs, "it's not necessarily dangerous."

"I’ve never heard of someone getting sick from a water bottle," he told News Corp Australia. "Similarly, taps are clearly not a problem: When did you last hear of someone getting ill from pouring a glass of water from a tap?"

Experts recommend cleaning water bottles at least once a day with hot soapy water.