My Camelbak has a really awful aftertaste.

The bladder has been used maybe 6 times in the last year. It’s been stored dry and I definitely no build up of mould, clunge, tagons or winnits during its unuse.

Has the bladder developed this taste whilst it hasn’t been used regularly or have I got used to the taste of water from a bottle / bidon?

get some miltons [ disenfectant for baby equipment ] soak it and flush through , should clear it up ok

Milton sterilising fluid/tablets and then store it in the freezer when you’re not using it.

Give it a good rinse with boiling water and lemon juice.

Another vote for Milton…keeps mine from getting too grim.

+1 for keeping it in the freezer when not in use

I haven’t properly cleaned or sterilsed my main bladder for a year.
Two reasons why:-
1) It only ever has water in it and it gets rinsed out before and after use.
2) When not in use it lives in the freezer drawer (much to my o/h’s annoyance!).

I use dencher sterilizing tablets in mine, cheap and does the job!

I soak mine in diluted cheap *thin* bleach, which is the same stuff as Miltons. Why would you have winnits in your bladder? What filthy depravity have you been engaged in?

Even water has bacteria in it, not harmful ones but still ones that can multiply if they have moisture and warmth which is why you should sterilize it with a tablet dissolved in water, leave to soak and then stored in the freezer as others have said.

Sometimes i even splash a bit of bleach in bathroom sink full of water and soak it in that for half an hour – as long as you wash all the bleach out again afterwards it won’t harm you. I do this if i’ve been lazy and not washed it for a week and need to use it quickly.

Never use a camelback with energy supplements for one thing, unless you want to clean it EVERY ride, thoroughly, twice.

i only ever use water in mine and it gets cleaned once or twice a year, still tastes as new.

They never taste great to be honest, but i’ve only ever seen them mould up or go gungy if you add in supplements, even if you leave water in it for weeks, mine never moulds up..