How dirty is that glass of water next to your bed actually?

A glass of water on a nightstand always seems very responsible to me, until you put it there last weekend to prevent a hangover and it’s still there a week later. Story of my life.

I dare not take a sip of water from such a glass on the second night, because I once read that the contents are teeming with bacteria by that time. In fact: it's a miracle that you can still drink that water in the morning without getting sick. That should be enough motivation to clean it up the morning after, were it not that I am a messy person. But an important question is: how long does the water in that glass actually stay good?

Thank goodness for the fact-checker from NU.nl who scrutinizes all these claims. And what turns out? You won't die if you drink water that has been next to your bed for more than one night. I once dragged myself out of bed with a gi-gantic hangover for some moisture, because the glass next to my bed was older than one night. So I really didn't have to do that.

Here's how it is. Water that sits on your nightstand for a while can change in taste due to prolonged exposure to air, because carbon dioxide forms in the water. There are probably people who link this very small change in taste to whether the water is good or not. But carbon dioxide is not bad for a person, just think of the liters of cola we drink.

What about bacteria? The tap water in the Netherlands is so clean that it is unlikely that any bacteria in the water cause diseases in people. Bacteria do get into the glass because you drink from it, but NU.nl says it is very unusual for you to get sick from consuming your own bacteria.

So if you wake up craving a glass of water and you have a glass of water that is a day old on your nightstand, no problem. You won't get sick if you take a sip to quench your thirst. Phew, we know that now. It's just unfortunate about that one time that I risked throwing up and dragged myself out of bed, that much is true.