I had a problem. In the past year, I have collected almost a handful of reusable water bottles – to buy them myself or to give a gift. Many actually look like S’well’s popular stainless steel water bottles. As the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our habits and perception of cleanliness in recent years, UV-C light has become a highly sought after solution for surface disinfection. They are included in just about everything.
Just a few weeks ago, I turned things on and used a new reusable bottle with UV-C light to disinfect the water inside – the Larq Bottle PureVis. At first I thought the cost of $ 95 was ridiculous since the average S’well bottle sells for about $ 25, but the more I used it, the more I realized it was one of the best investments.
Why does UV-C light up in a water bottle?
I prefer bottled water. Why would I need UV-C light in the world if the bottled water sold by companies was carefully filtered and disinfected before going to store shelves? The answer actually comes in my habit of using these reusable bottles – forget to clean it daily.
Well, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one guilty of this, especially not if I use it strictly for water and nothing else. If I use it to store other beverages like soft drinks, coffee, tea or beer, I am more likely to clean it more often. If I only consumed water, I would clean my reusable bottle every few days or so. If I do not, then the smell immediately reminds me of that.
If you activate the UV-C light in the Larq Bottle PureVis, you bathe the inside so that any microbial insects are inactivated. Clearly, this process works, because after using the Larq bottle continuously for five days, he still did not have that stinky odor to which I am usually exposed to traditional reusable bottles. Do not get me wrong, I do not want to say that you should forget to clean your bottle completely, but that you can use the use of Larq’s version for between the cleaners considerably longer.
Ideal for international travel
If you’ve ever traveled abroad the first night you were there and enjoyed some of the local cuisine, you may have woken up with stomach problems. For me, it was my first trip to Barcelona to cover Mobile World Congress. I suspect drinking the local tap water (yes, I was desperate at one point) caused my stomach in my ears, but this experience is actually pretty common for international travelers. This is because the water quality standards simply differ.
Studies of UV-C light have shown how effective it is at disinfecting surfaces. In the case of the Larq Bottle PureVis, its UV-C light can neutralize up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses lurking in the water. It would have been useful for the first trip to Barcelona, and it is definitely something I will use in the future for any trip abroad. To be honest, it will not remove physical impurities from the water, so I will not run the risk of getting water from a river or freshwater pond. For that, you want a proper filtration system to remove the impurities.
Setting up costs
Although it does not matter to some people, I appreciate the different styles that Larq offers with its range of reusable bottles. The first reusable S’well bottle I owned was as simple as it gets, and I easily shot over $ 25 for it. Eventually I found a popular bottle from another brand and still paid almost the same for it. Looking back now, they all add up.
The 17 oz Larq Bottle PureVis I used has a two-tone color that makes it stand out. Not only does it have an application program, but now it’s complemented by a design that makes a statement – and it all made me reconsider my original belief that it’s ridiculous to ever buy a $ 95 reusable water bottle.
While it is unlikely that it will make an impulse to buy, there is a warrant to consider it after you have done research. It made me think about all the other bottles I have spent money on over the years. With UV-C light, the ability to keep my water cool for 24 hours and a notification of the design commands, the Larq Bottle PureVis would be the one I bought again.
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