Fizzy Friday

Y'all have a SodaStream out there? I got one as a birthday gift a few years back, and I pretty well love the thing. I started drinking seltzer as an adult, only flavored, but now freshly carbonated plain seltzer from my SodaStream is easily one of my favorite refreshing drinks.

We still use the original bottles that came with the carbonator, each of which carry this warning: "UNSAFE IF CLEANED IN DISHWASHER." And "Not Dishwasher Safe! Do Not Use After 9/2013."

Why is that? The cynic/skeptic that I am these days needed to find out.

Here's what the SodaStream website says about the bottles:

"SodaStream produces and markets specially designed, high pressure-resistant bottles for use with our drink makers. Our long-life reusable bottles have a lifespan of 3 years. The bottle’s hermetically sealed cap keeps carbonated soft drinks fresh and fizzy longer than store-bought carbonated beverages. Our latest SodaStream bottle developments include the dishwasher-proof PEN bottles and an attractive glass carafe.SodaStream bottles are BPA-free and do not use any polycarbonate materials or materials that produce phthalates or PCBs, ensuring an eco friendly drinks maker."

Sooooo, by 'specially designed' you mean a gimic, right? Maybe not, since the bottles withstand repeated pressure from the carbonator. BUT! What is it that makes the bottles unsuitable for dishwasher cleaning?

Alicia over at TheSoftLanding looked into the very same issue, and it turns out that the bottles are made from PET. Yup, the same plastic as single-use water and soda bottles. And Lipton's stupid pyramid tea bags. Huh?

Pretty ironic for a company that does a lot of plastic bashing. Right at the top of the SodaStream website is this wonky ticker thing that counts off how many bottles from which the company is saving the world. As of this writing it was claiming to have saved the equivalent of more than 3 billion plastic bottles. Where do they come up with this stuff?

SodaStream's anti-plastic bottle message isn't well-received everywhere. Earlier this year, the company caught some heat from none other than PlasticsNews.com, which was all too happy to throw SodaStream under the bus for knocking its plastic bros. Drama!

SodaStream now offers dishwasher-safe plastic bottles and glass carafes. I'll check them out next week, since my bottles will turn into pumpkins at 11:59 on Sept 30.

Have a GREAT weekend!!

-- Jazzy