It seems like every few months we hear news of a water bottles containing lead. While it’s usually in a part of the water bottle that’s covered, it’s still an unhealthy material that I’d rather not be in my water bottle. Thankfully, there are several 100% lead-free stainless-steel water bottles to choose from.
This post contains affiliate links. At no cost to you, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Thank you, as your support makes this blog possible.
Why is Lead in Water Bottles?
Lead is usually detected in the insulation seal of stainless-steel water bottles. There is a cover on top of this, but sometimes those covers can come off with heavy use exposing the lead. While it’s extremely rare, some children have experienced lead poisoning from water bottles that have come apart.
Do Stanley Cups Contain Lead?
Yes, Stanley was recently called out for using lead in their stain-less steel water bottles. As mentioned above, the lead is found in the pellet that is used in their vacuum seal technology, which allows the cup to keep beverages at the same temperature for many hours.
What are the Best Non-Toxic Water Bottles?
High-quality stainless-steel water bottles and glass water bottles are the safest types of water bottles. Some of the best non-toxic water bottle brands include Klean Kanteen, Hydro Flask, Owala, SIGG and Life Factory.
These brands test for contaminants and have a top-notch safety reputation.
What are the Best Non-Toxic Kids Water Bottles
Klean Kanteen, Hydro Flask, SIGG and Owala all make kid’s sized water bottles. While glass is my favorite material for drinking, it can be a dangerous choice for kids. Honestly, it can be dangerous for adults like me too!
I broke mine and decided I’m just too clumsy to own a glass water bottle. I loved it while it lasted though! This post will explore all of these lead-free stainless-steel water bottles.
Non-Toxic Water Bottle Brands
All of the water bottles in this post are confirmed lead free, BPA free, phthalate free (and more). We’ll check out some of the kid and adult sizes and even compare the different lid types.
Hydro Flask
My family started using Hydro Flask about two years ago. We’ve purchased three, and we still have them all. These lead-free stainless-steel water bottles are double wall vacuum insulated and BPA free.
All Hydro Flask water bottles are insulated, so they keep cold beverages cold for 24 hours and hot beverages hot for 12 hours.
My son owns two of the 24 oz. Hydro Flask, one with flex cap (screws on) and one standard with flex straw cap. I really like this size, because it’s narrow and fits well in the car cup holders and the side of his backpack.
He prefers the straw lid for reasons of convenience and certain school settings prefer you not have a screw top water bottle for possible spills.
He tends to be hard on things, so the one we bought for last school year (flex cap) has a cracked top, but it’s still kicking, and it does not leak. It’s also pretty dented up, so he uses it for sports and as a backup water bottle.
The one we purchased for this school year is in great shape with minimal dents. I would say these are fairly durable water bottles, but they will all get dents over time. We’ve had both lids, the screw on and the flip top straw.
My daughter has the 32 oz. wide mouth Hydro Flask with the flex straw lid. While it holds more, it is quite large in diameter, so while it fits in her backpack side pocket (just barely) it doesn’t fit in our either of our car cup holders.
One of my favorite features of Hydro Flask is the endless color selection. They have bright colors, earthy tones, pastels, you name it, so that’s fun.
Klean Kanteen
Klean Kanteen was my old go-to, and I still have several of them now. I mainly switched, because my kids wanted the Hydro Flasks not due to any issue. Klean Kanteen is made of 90% recycled stainless steel and are BPA free making them a sustainable water bottle choice.
We’ve had several variations of Klean Kanteens over the years from the standard wide mouth to the sports bottle, to the kids sports bottle and a couple of coffee tumblers.
I currently still use one of my Klean Kanteen insulated tumblers that I use daily for my coffee. It’s my favorite coffee cup, because it allows me to use my stainless-steel straw with my coffee. So odd, I know, but I really don’t have time for coffee-stained teeth.
I also like this tumbler because the lid let’s just enough air in to cool your coffee but not so much air that the coffee gets cold. They have another stainless-steel coffee tumbler with a leak proof cafe lid.
Klean Kanteen has recently redesigned some of their lids, which was probably a good move. Several of the old ones were difficult and confusing to take apart and clean. The sports lid appears to be the same, and it tends to collect mold. It can be taken apart and cleaned, but it’s not super easy to get off.
To take apart the sports lid, you literally need to pull with all of your strength. I used to clean mine weekly when we used it regularly. If I ever got busy and went a few weeks, I would find a little mold had formed.
SIGG
SIGG is newer to me, and I don’t own one; however, they come highly recommended in the non-toxic community. The company is over 100 years old and operates in Switzerland.
All materials used to design SIGG water bottles are free of harmful pollutants, such as oestrogenic substances and phthalates. SIGG water bottles are also BPA free. Bottles are made with up to 90% recycled materials.
SIGG offers aluminum and stainless-steel water bottle designs. Aluminum has a reputation for leaching, but it should not leach into plain water.
Using an aluminum water bottle with acidic drinks would make leaching more likely. I’d personally opt for the stainless-steel option just to avoid the potential concern.
Their most popular water bottle is their Aluminum Water Bottle Traveler, which is a whopping 200oz. Since it’s aluminum, it’s going to be lighter than a stainless-steel option. If you are an avid hiker, this may be a good non-toxic water bottle option for you.
A unique product offered by SIGG is their insulated water bottle with tea infuser. As an avid tea drinker, I love this idea of real tea on the go.
Owala
Owala’s main product is the Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle, but they also offer tumblers, smoothie cups and even doggie bowls. All Owala products are BPA and phthalate-free.
Their stainless-steel water bottles have a patented free sip spout that is covered by a lid and accessed by a pop button. One neat feature about this brand is their Marvel, Star Wars and Harry Potter themed collections, which could be really fun for kids … they offer the color combo, but it’s up to you to add your own stickers.
Their little kid’s version is the Owala Kids Flip Water Bottle with Straw, which is 14 oz. and has a straw rather than the sip spout. They also offer a 12 oz. kids tumbler, which is just adorable.
Life Factory Glass Water Bottle
Life Factory is known for their glass water bottle with silicone sleeve, which comes with an active cap or a flat cap, but they also offer a stainless-steel water bottle. These water bottles are made in the USA and France.
Glass is the widely known as the healthiest material to eat or drink out of, but it does come with limitations like weight and the possibility of it breaking. I don’t think mine lasted quite a year before I dropped it on the concrete and broke it.
Due to the this, I would not recommend a glass bottle for young children and most places that children frequent (school, tutorial, daycare, etc.) won’t allow glass anyways. If you’re an adult who isn’t clumsy then totally go for the Life Factory glass water bottle.
The glass bottles come in 16 oz. and 22 oz. while the stainless-steel water bottles come in 24oz. and 32oz. One downside to Life Factory compared to say Hydro Flask is the limited color choice, but I do like the colors they do offer especially the mint.
What’s the Most Affordable Non-Toxic Water Bottle?
SIGG is the most affordable brand overall, but some of their stainless-steel bottles are not insulated, so just be sure to check for that. I did not include their aluminum bottles in the price comparison chart.
I included both the glass and stainless-steel Life Factory water bottles in the chart. The prices that say insulated below them are the stainless-steel Life Factory water bottles.
Life Factory and Owala are next in line with Klean Kanteen and Hydro Flask being the most expensive non-toxic water bottle options.
Which Stainless Steel Water Bottles are Sustainable?
SIGG and Klean Kanteen stainless-steel water bottles are made from 90% recycled materials, so they are considered sustainable water bottle options.
That’s a Wrap
The water bottles highlighted in this post are some of the most non-toxic available. All of these lead-free stainless-steel water bottles and the Life Factory glass water bottles are also BPA and phthalate free. Stay hydrated, friends!
