Igloo Sports Cooler Care 101: What Not to Put in Your Cooler with Spout

At the finish line of a marathon, on a hot construction site, or in the backyard of a family gathering, a signature Igloo Sports Cooler is often the center of attention. We all know that these sturdy hard-sided cooler jugs have excellent cold preservation capabilities, allowing an entire bucket of beverages to remain ice-cold for several hours or even days.

However, as an experienced ice chest & cooler jug manufacturer, we keep analysis on issues such as unpleasant odors, damaged sealing rings or leaks at the water outlet. Those issues were not due to the quality of the product itself, but rather resulted from improper content selection or inadequate preventive measures(or application methods).

Although your insulated cooler jug seems indestructible, its spigot system is consists of several sophisticated yet slightly delicate mechanical component. To ensure the safety of your drinking experience and maintain rather than shorten the product’s lifespan, we need to delve into this from a scientific perspective: This article will address these two questions that you may have been wondering about for a long time but haven’t been able to find answers to – What beverages can’t I store in an Igloo sports cooler? Can I use it to store hot drinks? Why?

Understanding the Structure and Mechanism of Your Cooler with Spout

Before listing the “prohibited list of content”, we will first introduce the working principle of the insulated ice bucket to help you better understand why certain specific liquids are not suitable to contain.

The standard Igloo Cooler with spout operates based on gravity and an internal sealing mechanism. The water outlet is typically equipped with:

1. Reset spring: Used to quickly cut off the water flow after releasing the button.
2. Silicone/rubber gasket: Used to form a nearly seamless watertight seal between plastic components to prevent leakage.
3. Valve stem and valve seat: A physical barrier that controls the flow of the liquid.

This system’s original purpose by design is to handle low-viscosity, non-particle-containing liquids (mainly water and electrolyte beverages). When the physical properties of the liquid (such as viscosity, pH, temperature) exceed the design range, some undesirable chain reactions will occur.

Avoid Putting These 3 Types of Beverages in the Igloo Water Cooler with Spout:

1. Dairy products, protein shakes and hot chocolate

Risk level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Extremely High)

Whether it’s chilled milk, milk tea, protein powder drink or hot chocolate, they are the “number one dangerous killers” of the insulated cooler. They should be avoided to be stored in the cooler at all times.

Firstly, from a microbiological perspective, dairy products are rich in proteins and fats. Even at low temperatures, these organic substances are the ideal breeding grounds for bacteria. The spout structure of the Igloo Cooler has tiny crevices, and the fat globules in the milk are prone to drying and hardening in these gaps. Once the fat residue remains, due to the complex structure of the spout, it is difficult to reach with a simple rinse, and thus it cannot be completely removed. These residues will form a stubborn biofilm. This film not only protects bacteria (such as Listeria, Escherichia coli) from being killed by cleaning agents but also continuously releases a foul smell of decay.

This means that the next time you use it, no matter what beverage you are storing, even clean water, it will inevitably pass through this deteriorated biofilm, causing serious cross-contamination and food safety risks, and posing a threat to your health.

2. Pulpy juices and smoothies

Risk level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High)

Freshly squeezed orange juice or thick smoothies are very healthy, but they may cause mechanical failures in the spout of your insulated beverage cooler.

The sealing of the spout relies on the perfect fit of the valve and the rubber ring. Pulp fibers, strawberry seeds, or uncompletely dissolved smoothie particles or any other solid matters are very likely to get stuck in the valve, forming a physical blockage, resulting in:

• Leakage (Capillary phenomenon):

Even if just one tiny piece of pulp gets stuck on the sealing ring, it will break the vacuum seal and form a tiny channel. The liquid will drip continuously under the force of gravity. If overlooking this problem, you’ll soon be asking “why does my cooler spout leak?”.

• Long-term damage:

To prevent the drip, users often press or forcefully twist the spout, which will cause excessive and prolonged force application, leading to permanent deformation of the silicone gasket and gradually depriving the spout of its sealing ability.

3. Scalding hot liquids

Risk level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High)

Users often ask, “Since hard coolers can keep cold drinks cold, then they must can keep hot drinks hot, right?” Yes, that’s correct, but although it is true from a physical perspective, material science tells us to be cautious.

• Thermal expansion principle:

Most hard-sided coolers’ inner shells are made of food-grade polypropylene or other plastics, with an middle layer of polyurethane foam. When suddenly exposed to boiling water (close to 100°C), the inner wall plastic will undergo a sudden thermal expansion.

• Structural damage:

Due to the different expansion coefficients of the inner wall, middle layer foam, and the outer shell, this thermal shock will cause the inner shell to warp or even crack.

• Connection loosening:

The spout is usually fixed to the cooler jug’s body through threading or pressure fitting. When the inner shell deforms, it directly causes the connection between the spout and the jug body to loosen. Once it loosens, the liquid will seep into the insulation layer of the bucket body, causing mold, and ultimately, damages to the insulation effect that cannot be repaired.

Be Cautious When Putting This Type of Beverage in the Igloo Water Cooler with Spout:

4. Carbonated Beverages

Risk level: ⭐⭐⭐ (Medium)

We know that soda water, soft drinks or beer are essential for parties, gatherings, almost all kinds of activities. Many buyers – perhaps including you – may have bought the beverage cooler just for storing chilled soda or beer or other cold drinks. Considering actual needs, we’re not saying it is completely impossible to do so, but theoretically, there are some risks:

• Sealing failure:

Carbonated beverages contain a large amount of carbon dioxide. In a sealed space and with temperature slowly rising, the gas will continuously escape from the liquid, accumulate in the jug, causing the pressure inside to be significantly higher than the external atmospheric pressure. But Igloo Sports Cooler is designed for atmospheric pressure liquids. When the internal pressure is too high, the gas will seek the weakest point to break and release. Usually, this will cause the liquid to be “pressed” out from the water outlet, resulting in uncontrollable leakage or, in more serious cases, causing the entire insulated cooler jug to crack.

• Chemical corrosion:

Some strong carbonated beverages are acidic. Long-term contact may accelerate the aging (aka, hardening) of the rubber seals inside the faucet, causing them to become brittle and eventually, crack.

However, in general, these two risks are relatively small because most users who use it store such liquids do so just for parties, and therefore, from time to time, people will open the faucet to pour the beverages, which can release the accumulated pressure inside, reduce the pressure difference between inside and outside, and the cooler, usually even before the possible corrosion occurs, will be emptied and cleaned after the event; but it should be noted that do not use it to contain such liquids for a long time (such as several days or longer) just for the sole purpose of storing.

Best Practice: How to Correctly Use and Clean Your Cooler Jug with Spout

To maximize your investment return on Igloo’s Cooler with spout, please follow the following suggestions:

Recommended liquids (0 risk)

1. Pure water and ice cubes: This is the best combination. It is not only safe for your health but also can achieve the most lasting cooling effect.
2. Sports electrolyte drinks (without fruit pulp or other solid additives): As long as it is a completely dissolved liquid, it’s usually safe. However, if it contains sugar, a thorough cleaning is required after use.

The Golden Rule of Cleaning Your Cooler with Spout

Rinsing it with water alone is not enough, especially when you have filled a sugary drink with it.

1. Disassembly (if applicable for your model): If your model supports it, unscrew the spout.
2. Baking Soda soak: Prepare a warm water and baking soda mixture, it becomes a natural deodorizer and a mild cleaner that can effectively remove the smell adsorbed on the plastic.
3. Thorough drying: Before reassembling or reusing, make sure the lid is open to ensure that the ice bucket and the spout inside are completely dry. Moisture can breed mold.

Conclusion:

Your Igloo Sports Cooler is designed for adventure, sports and lovely gatherings. It is extremely sturdy and durable, but only if we respect its design principles.

By completely avoiding to use it to contain dairy products, fruit pulp, boiling water, and minimizing or using protective measures when including acidic or carbonated beverages, you are not only protecting the sealing&insulation system of the cooler jug, but also protecting the drinking health of you, your family and your guests. Correct usage habits can ensure that this Cooler with spout provides you with an ice-cold experience consistently for the next several years.

Are you ready to upgrade your equipment?

If your existing insulated ice bucket has endured too many “battles”, please feel free to browse our cooler jugs collection. As a professional ice bucket manufacturer, we have adopted an upgraded antibacterial lining and a more easily cleanable spout design to safeguard your next adventure. Subscribe our website for more articles on hard coolers/cooler jugs, or contact us at anytime at sales@kingstarmold.com or leave online message for free samples.