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I got a metal straw which is nice. The main downside is you have to rinse it, and it comes with a brush to clean which I sometimes use. However I haven’t ever

I got a metal straw which is nice. The main downside is you have to rinse it, and it comes with a brush to clean which I sometimes use. However I haven’t ever actually noticed it getting dirty. I drink water / tea flavored with stevia so it might not be as clean if you drink something else.

lucb1e 5y ago
We have plastic ones and I prefer the texture of those to metal. Reusable I mean obviously, not throwaway. Had them for years, we use them maybe three times a month (mainly after getting takeaway and requesting the drink without those awful paper straws) so probably that contributes to longevity. I haven't noticed it getting dirty either but we just run it through the dishwasher like other cutlery. Takeaway: plastic isn't bad, just don't waste it, like every other resource from planet A...
- crackercrews 5y ago
  Other cutlery only needs washing on the outside. How do you ensure the straw is also cleaned on the inside?
  - lucb1e 5y ago
    The dishwasher seems to do a good job at getting water everywhere, also with other irregularly-shaped objects. I never actually looked up whether anyone used some scientific method to measure the cleanliness of dishwasher-run straws, but based on that it doesn't seem dirty in the slightest also after years of use, it seems to work well enough. (And my keyboard would be higher on the priority list of things to improve thorough cleaning of, but that's probably just me.) Edit: what about in between a fork's teeth? (Hope they're also called teeth in english, correct me if not, in that case I mean the individual prongs.) That seems somewhat similar if less elongated
kube-system 5y ago
Those metal straws scare me. Every time I see one, I imagine tripping or bumping into something with one in my mouth
- crackercrews 5y ago
  Accidents are not common. But they're not impossible either. [1] 1: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/woman-dies-after-accidentally-being-impaled-by-metal-straw_n_5d2778dde4b02a5a5d57c428 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/woman-dies-after-accidentally...
  - jonny_eh 5y ago
    Let's get rid of straws and normalize sippy cups.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - kube-system 5y ago
      That's basically what a starbucks cup is
ulber 5y ago
They definitely need a brushing after smoothies, but apart from that I'm not the most worried about bacterial growth inside them. They're not used for cooking, so as long as there isn't significant biomass inside there it doesn't feel too dangerous - bacteria multiplying in food and manufacturing toxins is the thing I'm really careful about. I imagine people routinely get similar exposure to bacteria from many other sources they don't even think about.
yumraj 5y ago
Genuinely curious, if it's just water or flavored tea, why do you need straws? For thick milkshakes or smoothies and such I can possibly imagine, but I have never figured out why people use so many straws. I've seen people drink sodas out of a can using a straw and never understood the reason.
- senectus1 5y ago
  >but I have never figured out why people use so many straws Lipstick, Teeth sensitivity, headgear getting in the way, in conjunction with a lid it helps keep the environment out of the cup, maintaining temperature, easier for children/those with motor co-ordination issues to drink. there are LOTS of reasons for it. Quite often though, its done just because its the default option. economy of scale takes hold here... these things almost always have plastic lids anyway, so why not build a straw like spout into the lid...
- armchairhacker 5y ago
  To be honest, I use it because I'm lazy and it makes it so I can drink without holding the cup.

lucb1e 5y ago

We have plastic ones and I prefer the texture of those to metal. Reusable I mean obviously, not throwaway. Had them for years, we use them maybe three times a month (mainly after getting takeaway and requesting the drink without those awful paper straws) so probably that contributes to longevity. I haven't noticed it getting dirty either but we just run it through the dishwasher like other cutlery. Takeaway: plastic isn't bad, just don't waste it, like every other resource from planet A...

crackercrews 5y ago
Other cutlery only needs washing on the outside. How do you ensure the straw is also cleaned on the inside?
- lucb1e 5y ago
  The dishwasher seems to do a good job at getting water everywhere, also with other irregularly-shaped objects. I never actually looked up whether anyone used some scientific method to measure the cleanliness of dishwasher-run straws, but based on that it doesn't seem dirty in the slightest also after years of use, it seems to work well enough. (And my keyboard would be higher on the priority list of things to improve thorough cleaning of, but that's probably just me.) Edit: what about in between a fork's teeth? (Hope they're also called teeth in english, correct me if not, in that case I mean the individual prongs.) That seems somewhat similar if less elongated

kube-system 5y ago

Those metal straws scare me. Every time I see one, I imagine tripping or bumping into something with one in my mouth

crackercrews 5y ago
Accidents are not common. But they're not impossible either. [1] 1: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/woman-dies-after-accidentally-being-impaled-by-metal-straw_n_5d2778dde4b02a5a5d57c428 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/woman-dies-after-accidentally...
- jonny_eh 5y ago
  Let's get rid of straws and normalize sippy cups.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - kube-system 5y ago
    That's basically what a starbucks cup is

ulber 5y ago

They definitely need a brushing after smoothies, but apart from that I'm not the most worried about bacterial growth inside them. They're not used for cooking, so as long as there isn't significant biomass inside there it doesn't feel too dangerous - bacteria multiplying in food and manufacturing toxins is the thing I'm really careful about. I imagine people routinely get similar exposure to bacteria from many other sources they don't even think about.

yumraj 5y ago

Genuinely curious, if it's just water or flavored tea, why do you need straws? For thick milkshakes or smoothies and such I can possibly imagine, but I have never figured out why people use so many straws. I've seen people drink sodas out of a can using a straw and never understood the reason.

senectus1 5y ago
>but I have never figured out why people use so many straws Lipstick, Teeth sensitivity, headgear getting in the way, in conjunction with a lid it helps keep the environment out of the cup, maintaining temperature, easier for children/those with motor co-ordination issues to drink. there are LOTS of reasons for it. Quite often though, its done just because its the default option. economy of scale takes hold here... these things almost always have plastic lids anyway, so why not build a straw like spout into the lid...
armchairhacker 5y ago
To be honest, I use it because I'm lazy and it makes it so I can drink without holding the cup.