People Are Grossed Out After Seeing a ‘Whole Ecosystem’ Growing Inside an Unwashed Water Bottle

Almost everyone loves to catch a glimpse of a fantasy forest. From glowing purple mushrooms in Avatar to the dark yet enchanting woods in Alice in Wonderland, forests are a sight for the sore eye. But one TikTok user, who goes by the moniker @wompbrat, plummeted down a rabbit hole not in the woods but in a water bottle. Nestling within the bottle was an enchanted forest with a bizarre fortress of chia sprouts that had magically popped after sopping the little chia water left inside. “My sister grew a whole ecosystem,” the man wrote in the video caption. The miniature forest reminded them to wash their water bottles on time.

In this 10-second clip, the viewers got a glimpse inside a metallic water bottle with inner walls lined in silver. A little below the mouth of the bottle, the silver surface seems to be skirted with a cluster of greenish sprouts with white, threadlike shoots fringing downwards like tassels. Tucked to the round wall, the plant resembled a wreath-shaped ecosystem bursting with tiny green bulbs and ribboned vines hanging from the sprouted crown. Some sprouts were scattered on the bottle’s floor. Along the edges of the sprouts was a foamy, slimy patch of slime circling the innards of the bottle. 

“Your reminder to wash your water bottles,” the video creator wrote in the video’s overlay caption. “Bro got a whole ecosystem in his bottle,” exclaimed @guessthiaintmeanymore in the comments section. Many people shared similar instances from their lives. “A girl in my 3rd grade class had mold growing in her water bottle cause she didn’t wash it,” shared @evan. Another story came from @liriss: “I have the same problem, the water started to taste a little weird, so I opened it, and there was a plant.”

As much as this bottled forest sounds like magic, it is not. There’s a science that caused the leftover chia seeds to sprout inside the bottle. Since chia seeds are hygroscopic, they are quick to absorb any traces of water or moisture they come in contact with. Healthline explains that these seeds can swell up to 12 times their original size when soaked in water, intentionally or by chance. The resulting vista is a gelatinous mixture with a slightly chewy texture, similar to tiny tapioca pearls. Sounds delicious? Well, not exactly when these pearls sprout on their own inside a bottle. No one who picks up bottled water is expecting to lick slimy sprouts on their tongue instead of slurping in a sip of watery liquid. This is a hint to wash your water bottles regularly.

"Reusable water bottles should be washed once per day with soap and hot water. The high moisture content inside bottles readily breeds mold and bacteria, which can influence the taste and quality of the water over time. The microorganisms can produce off-flavors,” food scientist, Doctor Bryan Quoc Le, shared with Newsweek. He suggested that drinkers avoid leaving nutrient-rich materials like powdered protein, powdered flavorings, milk, sweeteners, and electrolytes inside a reusable bottle, because these can trigger the proliferation of bacteria and mold. Having an enchanted forest in your bottle is surely a magical thing. But like this, certainly not.

You can follow @wompbrat on TikTok for lifestyle content.