That trusty reusable water bottle you carry with you keeps you healthy and hydrated, but only if it’s clean. And let's face it: Most of us don’t think to clean out our water bottles. More often than not, we take that last sip, refill it, and sip some more—on repeat.

Whether your water bottle is stainless steel, plastic, or made from another hard material, it’s important to sanitize it at the end of each day. “Since it’s a moist environment, it's possible for bacteria to set up shop and thrive, potentially leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” says Robert Glatter, MD, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwell Health and attending emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.

RELATED: 12 Reasons Why Dehydration Is Bad for Your Body

Give the cap, as well as the straw if your bottle has one, a good cleansing too. “Bacteria such as E. coli that lead to gastroenteritis and food poisoning and even molds could colonize this area,” he says. You can even take a step further and scrub this area with a special bottle brush or toothbrush for a real deep clean. Or just get in the habit of using one of these simple and easy methods. Find one that works for you and aim for aim for consistency.

RELATED: 12 Germs That Cause Food Poisoning

The dishwasher

Many types of water bottles are dishwasher safe, but check that it says so on the bottle first. “Place bottle and top in the top rack, making sure that the bottle does not interfere with the spray arms if your model has them at the top,” says Donna Smallin Kuper, IICRC-certified house cleaning technician and author of Cleaning Plain & Simple. Then, run the dishwasher with the hottest water settings and a heated dry cycle, which will kill germs. It should be totally dry before you reuse it; moisture can be a breeding ground for bugs.

Soap and water

Washing by hand with a sudsy mix of dishwashing liquid and hot water is a safe and effective cleaning method, Kuper says. Be sure to wash and dry off with a clean cloth (or paper towel) to avoid reintroducing any bacteria or other harmful bugs. Swish the soapy water through the entire bottle, same way as you'd wash out a coffee cup or other used glass or mug, and make sure you get rid of any gunky buildup on the bottom or by the cap area. Then rinse with water to remove any soap residue before drying.

RELATED: 7 Best Water Bottles Health's Editors Swear By

Vinegar

That bottle of vinegar in your pantry can also disinfect your water bottle. “You can also use dilute vinegar, which helps to kill most bacteria (not viruses though), while also serving as a drying agent,” says Dr. Glatter. “Fill half of the bottle with white vinegar, the other half with water,” he says. (Make sure you use about ¼ cup of vinegar.) Close the bottle and let is swish around before leaving it to soak…

Most people associate them with winter, but for me, at least, chapped lips are a year-round concern. Salt water, UV rays, and air conditioning always seem to dry out my pout just as much as winter's low humidity and freezing temps, if not more so—which means I'm constantly on the lookout for hero products that will lock in moisture once and for all.

If, like me, your lips are chronically chapped and regular balms aren't doing the trick, you might want to turn to an unlikely source: nipple cream.

"Nipple creams are super-hydrating," says New York City dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD, author of Skin Rules. "You only have to dab a small amount to get your lips fully covered, and it doesn't just sit on top of your lips, but penetrates it."

Since the main purpose of these creams is to soothe the nipples of breastfeeding moms, they're completely safe to have near your mouth. The formulas are usually clear with a thick consistency that's heavier than Vaseline, Dr. Jaliman adds.

Here, three ultra moisturizing nipple creams that double as the best lip balm you've ever tried.

• Lansinoh HPA Lanolin ($9; amazon.com). Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness recently shared a photo of this lanolin salve on Instagram, revealing that both he and co-star Tan France use it. Dr. Jaliman is also a fan: "Many lactation consultants recommend 100% lanolin nipple creams such as this one," she tells us. And if that didn't already convince you, the bestselling product also boasts more than 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.

• Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm ($15; amazon.com). This ultra-rich formula (which also contains pure lanolin) is a personal favorite of mine. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way—dab on the tiniest pea-sized amount at night, and wake up to the super-soft lips of your dreams the next morning.

• Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter ($8; amazon.com). Although 100% lanolin creams are usually recommended—the ingredient, comprised of a combination of lipids, is great for skin, Dr. Jaliman says—it's not uncommon to be allergic to it. Those with a lanolin allergy can still reap nipple cream's ultra-moisturizing benefits, though. Dr. Jaliman recommends this plant-based formula from Earth Mama; it's lanolin- and petroleum-free, made with organic calendula and oils.

Noa Shaw isn’t your typical SoulCycle instructor. “I lived this crazy dangerous life, filled with failed attempts of sobriety, bad eating to bad health,” he explains in the video above.

It all started when he was just a kid, and his best friend’s older brothers introduced him to drugs and alcohol. “They thought it would be fun to see what effect drugs and alcohol would have on a 10-year-old,” Shaw says. “I tried everything. There was always that desire to disregard my well-being in the hopes of pleasing other people, constantly trying to fill that void.”

He eventually reached a breaking point and called his father.

“I said, ‘Dad, I think I’m gonna kill myself,’” he recalls. “And my father responded, ‘If that’s what you have to do, that’s what you have to do.’ And he hung up on me. That was the moment that it started to turn. I decided that I had had enough.”

Shaw attended an AA meeting, and never looked back. Today, he hasn’t had a drink in 30 years. He got a job working in a rehab facility, where he would talk to others about making positive changes. But he realized that since he had gotten sober, he was relying on other risky habits.

“One of the things you do with clients is redirection. So if we’re sitting in a place and a client’s having a hard time, I’ll say, ‘Come on, let’s go have a cigarette. Let’s go have something to eat,’” he says. “And it was cigarette, food, cigarette, food—then all of a sudden, I looked up one day and I was 300 pounds, smoking four packs of cigarettes a day.”

RELATED VIDEO: I Tried the Intense New SoulCycle Class That Has Everyone Freaking Out

Shaw’s doctor didn’t sugarcoat his health issues. He told Shaw that his heart was going to explode: “You’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”

That same day, SoulCycle opened their first California studio in West Hollywood.

“The first class I signed up for, I picked a bike near the door, so that if I died during class, they would have an easier time getting my body out of the room,” he says. “But during that class, I remembered back to what I’d gone through in my life and I thought, ‘I’m not gonna die from being fat. If I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go out fighting.’”

Within four months, Shaw lost 100 pounds and became a fixture at his local studio. His fellow riders would call in, asking if he was signed up. He wasn’t just working out and losing weight—he was inspiring those around him.

Then one day an instructor asked him if he’d have any interest in teaching? “This was only 120 days after I was a 300-pound person about to die,” Shaw says. “I left seven days later with a one-way plane ticket to New York, and I said, ‘I’m home…