Some of our most popular water bottles in store are the larger ones. The mini water cooler design bottles from Enviro Products are a bpa free bottle designed to hold larger quantities of water. The 2 litre water bottle (pictured above right) holds the average amount of water a person might drink in a day.

Some people take them to sporting events, others just fill them up and drink from them during the day to monitor how much they've drunk. Me, I run my water through a fluoride filter jug at home and carry my water to work. We have the stinkiest over chlorinated water at work that we go through filter cartridges too quickly otherwise. We have been using a water filter jug from Waters Co and had to swap the cartridges out in around half the time, so I decided to bring it from home.

New design for the 3.8 litre bottle

Pictured above left is the new design for the 3.8 litre version of the bottle. The old 3.8 was square and had a very short thread plastic lid on it that was not attached to the bottle. The new version of the bottle is the same style and shape with the sturdier stainless steel screw cap. The screw cap is also tethered to the drink bottle so there's no way you can lose it.

Carry handle

One thing we want to mention is the carry handle on these bottles. The carry handle is where they are being held in the photograph, on the side of the bottle. When the lid is securely in place, you can grab the bottle by the handle on the side and carry the bottle and it makes it easy to pour from, since most people use these to just carry large amounts of water and refill bottles or glasses. The blue fabric strap holding the lid in place is NOT a carry handle. It is not designed to carry the weight of the bottle and they will snap off given enough pressure. Always carry your bottle with the handle moulded in to the side of the bottle.

How sturdy are they?

These are made from a relatively thin, solid bpa free plastic. If you drop one full, they will crack. If you think they're going to get knocked around, try a Camelbak water bottle in the same plastic, but they are much thicker. There are also stainless steel water bottles in sizes up to 2 litres, including the range from Klean Kanteen. We don't have anything that large in an insulated water bottle in the Thermos brand but there are large bottles by Eco Vessel that are triple insulated. Visit the insulated water bottle category and use the VOLUME slider to narrow your search.

What's the best way to clean them?

If you're only putting water in them and only using them to refill a bottle or a glass, they only need to be washed on a semi-regular basis. If you only ever store water in them, some hot soapy water is fine. It is difficult to get a bottle brush in to every crevice of the bottle, but popping some vinegar, a bit of bi-carb, a little bit of water and some rice in and giving it a really good shake provides a little 'scrubbing brush' inside the bottle. You can use any cheap white vinegar to do the job, or if all you have is apple cider vinegar, you don't need much, just don't waste too much of it!

Did you know you can use the liquid castile soap from Dr Bronner's as a dishwashing liquid? If you do, it's highly concentrated and the scented versions may leave a lingering smell in this bottle, so I would suggest you only do it with the unscented version.