drying and cleaning a Sawyer Squeeze bag

[lostagain]

Did a search for this, but that only pulled up about 7 pages of threads on everything Sawyer. So, as the thread title suggests, I'm wondering how anyone who uses the Squeeze drys and, more importantly, cleans the bags. I've got bladders from both Camelbak and Source and both came with cleaning kits and a nfity thing to stick down inside to aid in air drying. But the Squeeze bags don't have anything like that.

So, for those of you who have the system, how do you clean and dry the bags to be sure they're dry. Obviously I can use a bleach/soap/hot water to clean it, and of course the filter itself has the backwash syringe, But so far in test usage, the bag once squeezed seems to comletely collapse on itself. My concern is that, without getting the bag completely dry, mold may build up and render the bag useless.

(I'm also concerned my fears are groundless. If so, please don't hesitate to blast them to smithereens. :))

[The Old Boot]

I just tried using a hair dryer/blower unit on it. It works quite nicely although it took me a couple of tries to get the bag to open up fully.

After following the 'long term storage' instructions that are on the bag, use/borrow/steal a hair blower.

[treesloth]

I have plastic 'disposable' flasks that I use again and again. They have a small threaded opening. I do the hot water-bleach-soak thing, then rinse x3 or 4. I then blow them up like a balloon to make sure they are fully distended, and place them with the openings facing a small room fan. I leave them there for a day. I shake them around to displace any water that's gotten into the seams, and then place them in front of the fan for another day.

I also have a MSR bladder for a gravity filter that I clean in a similar fashion, but it opens fully at the top so it's easier. As far as storing your filter, backwashing it with a bit of bleach in the water is essential for longer term storage. Refer to the documentation.

[nastynate]

I just rinse mine out with soap and water, and store in the freezer. No worry about getting them perfectly dry.

[grayfox]

If you are storing the bag for an extended time at home put it in the freezer. If you are on the trail then a weak bleach solution will do, or a drop of iodine or other water treatment chemical. Also, a bit of any alcoholic beverage will work if you have it. You can let the bag sit in a warm place upside down and uncapped to dry it out but that takes a while and you can not be really sure it is dry. Before using a bag again, wash it with bleach solution and it should be fine. I also run a bit of weak bleach solution through my filters before I store them for any length of time. I leave the parts unassembled in a mesh bag to dry out when not in use.

[rhjanes]

I rinse mine out (true for water bottles, CamelBak's, Platypus). then blow into them. They open up and are rigid enough to stay like that. I went to Wally-World, Pet department and purchased a fish tank air blower thing. I just plug that in, run the little hose down into the bladder. After a day of steady air, it is all dried out.

[lostagain]

thanks for the great ideas and info all. I didn't know about the freezer storage. My biggest concern was making sure I got ALL the water out of bag during drying so that I didn't wind up with mold. Gonna check inot that fish tank air dryer. :)

[Odd Man Out]

I'm a fan of drying things like this in the sun, if you have a nice sunny day.

[da fungo]

Exactly what I do. The fish tank air pump works like a charm, uses little electricity.