Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Posted February 24, 2006 My kombucha grows by round little white circles that then grow together... MOLD AGAIN! Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very depressing indeed. Namaste Quote
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Posted February 24, 2006 Hi - So are the little white circles very uniform and " fuzzy? " After last mold, did you discard scobys and brew and start over from scratch? When you start your brew are you adding 2 cups per gallon of brewed KT? And are you adding the KT starter after adding everything else (eg. Add sweet tea, then scoby, then top it off with starter) so the acidic starter will be on the top? Another thing, if you've done all the above and still having mold, try putting a solid cap on the brew. If there's mold in the environment, maybe having a solid lid on the jar (leaving plenty of air space inside) would keep some of the mold spores in the environment from getting into the brew. I'm not an expert -- just making suggestions based on what I've read before. I live in the desert Southwest in a relatively modern house with no mold so haven't had the problem myself. Good luck. All the best, Dana -----Original Message----- From: original_kombucha [mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very depressing indeed. Quote
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Posted February 24, 2006 , Regarding your second experience with mold. Lets review some ways mold can attack your SCOBY. First and foremost is cleanliness. Then disinfect or clean all your utensils and your brewing vessel with white vinegar. Make certain that your hands are clean, especially under your fingernails. I have used the thin hospital type rubber gloves when I first started. Now, I just wash my hands thoroughly and rinse them each time I touch anything that was not sterilized. If you have any of the batch you made that did not have any mold, you can let some (about a cup) of it sit in a sterilized vessel or bowl with a porous but very fine weave covering and a new SCOBY will form on the brew you have set aside. Now you are ready to begin anew. The emphasis is on cleanliness and preventing any mold spores in the air from having a chance to settle on your precious KT and anything the KT will be put in. Once you have assembled all you need to start a new batch, prepare the sweet tea and let it cool completely, covered so that no mold spores can settle into sweet tea. Cleanse your brewing vessel with white vinegar and also clean anything you will use to put the SCOBY and starter into the brewing vessel. Put the tea into the brewing vessel making sure you don't leave it uncovered any longer than absolutely necessary. At this stage your brew is especially vulnerable to mold. Put in the SCOBY and then gently pour the starter on top of the brew. It doesn't matter if the SCOBY sinks at this stage. Pouring the starter in slowly insures that the top of the brew is acidic enough to resist mold. Whatever you use to cover your brewing vessel must be porous enough to allow air to get into the brewing vessel and yet not allow mold spores to fall through the covering. I use two gallon glass jars that my wife obtained from Big Lots as my brewing vessels. The opening at the top is about six inches. My wife located some large coffee filters at SAMs that fit nicely over the top of the jars and I can turn down about an inch of filter material all around the jar opening. I secure it with a large rubber band. It takes a few tries but you can get the hang of spreading the rubber band with your fingers of both hands and then letting it slip over your fingers and around the top of the jar. I have found coffee filters to be the best. I keep them in a big zip loc bag with the inside always down so no mold ever gets a change to settle on the surface that will be toward the brewing KT. I had to discard several filters when my wife tried to help me by handing me the coffee filter. She blew on then to separate them. I know that others have been successful with using various cloths over their brewing KT. If you do that you must find a way to sterilize it and make sure that the surface that will be facing the brewing KT is never exposed so that mold spores can settle on it and later shake loose and fall into your brewing KT. Good luck and Happy brewing _____ From: original_kombucha [mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 10:49 PM To: original_kombucha Subject: MOLD AGAIN! Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very depressing indeed. Namaste Quote
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Posted February 25, 2006 hang on some of my scobies form like that.. looks like white circles on top of the scoby already there.. not a problem NOT MOULD all fine don't throw it away, it's ok carry on sian )) wrote: Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very depressing indeed. Namaste Quote
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Posted February 25, 2006 Make sure your acidity is correct About 10% kt liquid per batch Also make sure the old t bags mouly areas are out of the area Also cover with a fine clean cloth that breathes to avoid contamination Miq wrote: >Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was >good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles >of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I >don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in >the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very >depressing indeed. > >Namaste > > > > > > > > Quote
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Posted February 25, 2006 , are the dots or circles fyzzy or furry? If not, the white dots are normal. /bengt wrote: >Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was > >good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles > >of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I > >don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in > >the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very > >depressing indeed. > > > >Namaste > > Quote
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Posted February 25, 2006 They are fuzzy and now turning green....I'm pretty sure its mold... Namaste > > >Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was > > > >good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles > > >of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I > > >don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in > > >the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very > > >depressing indeed. > > > > > >Namaste > > > > Quote
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Posted February 25, 2006 Ok, say a little prair and send them to the god's. Better luck next time! /bengt wrote: > They are fuzzy and now turning green....I'm pretty sure its mold... Quote
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 Hi heather, A few suggestions from someone who has dealt with moldy indoor air environments for a living... If you have any visible greying of walls, ceilings, or black spotty areas, do yourself a favor and wash the room out with a bleach(check for colorfastness first of course) or other home anti-fungal treatments good for indoors. Baking soda works well if you can't use bleach. spray or scrub it and let sit for 10 minutes+ Another great source of moldy air is surprisingly your central air system. make sure filters are clean and vents are vaccuumed as far in as you can see. Also, if you can see any dryrot stains(found near very wet or damp areas usually constantly wet or leaks) check under the washer and even the water drain under your refrigerator. Alot of molds can come into the house in draft, etc. but the mold you need to worry about are the molds that come from inside the house. to make mold you need 2 things, damp and warm. without these you cannot have mold, period. Any powerful oxidiser will kill those molds andf fungus. Hydrogen peroxide is strong but has a short standing life. Bleach is good but it will fade colors and noxious fumes. Hope this can help. If there is mold growing in your scoby, then most likely it's affecting you also. Jaimye Quote
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 We are MOVING!!! We have been thinking about it, but now its just settled. This apartment complex is terrible, the windows are so bad and moldy, they are old and they perspire so mold grows around it, it seems they just keep painting over it whenever someone new moves in....they tried to tell us it was just mildew and like suckers we believed them, but now seeing what is going on with the Kombucha it's settled, we are going to call the health board too and notify them of the terrible living conditions here before we go, its very low income and i hate to see so many other people living this way. I have noticed since i moved here feeling more tired and grumpy...maybe thats part of it, who knows. Thanks for all the advice....i'll let you know when I can get her up and running again. Namaste! > > Hi, > > Bleach is chlorine and it is very dangerous to use in your home - they used > to kill people with chlorine gas in WWI. > If you have mold, use an ozone generator and go visit elsewhere while it > does its thing. If that doesn't work, either rip out the walls or tear the > house down. Mold can grow inside the walls, carpeting (especially the > backing), almost anywhere. > C. > Re: MOLD AGAIN! > > > > > > Hi heather, > > > > A few suggestions from someone who has dealt with moldy indoor air > > environments for a living... > > > > If you have any visible greying of walls, ceilings, or black spotty > > areas, do yourself a favor and wash the room out with a bleach(check > > for colorfastness first of course) or other home anti-fungal > > treatments good for indoors. Baking soda works well if you can't use > > bleach. spray or scrub it and let sit for 10 minutes+ > > > > Another great source of moldy air is surprisingly your central air > > system. make sure filters are clean and vents are vaccuumed as far in > > as you can see. > > > > Also, if you can see any dryrot stains(found near very wet or damp > > areas usually constantly wet or leaks) check under the washer and even > > the water drain under your refrigerator. > > > > Alot of molds can come into the house in draft, etc. but the mold you > > need to worry about are the molds that come from inside the house. to > > make mold you need 2 things, damp and warm. without these you cannot > > have mold, period. Any powerful oxidiser will kill those molds andf > > fungus. Hydrogen peroxide is strong but has a short standing life. > > Bleach is good but it will fade colors and noxious fumes. > > > > Hope this can help. If there is mold growing in your scoby, then most > > likely it's affecting you also. > > > > Jaimye > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 There's a big difference between chlorine gas(cl2) and sodium hypochlorite in bleach(3% aq solution by volume generally) Bleach is effective sometimes for years. the fumes last days. the fix is $5. Choice is yours. May want to check to see if you have a good vapor barrier under the house also. Jaimye Quote
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 It probably is just mildew. That's the problem. That black stuff is asperigillus. It's poison. There's a book about that and other environmental pollutants and their affects on humans. It's called " Is this your child " I forget the author. One of the anecdotes I read in it was about Asperigillus. A school in New mexico(I believe) was having a problem with the students. 33% of the children attending the school were taking rittalin. They did a mold culture in the school and found 200 colonies of this mold that most labs would have been alarmed at 2. It's a good idea to get out of there, but it's a better idea to call your local health department. You may be saving someone's life and for sure extending many it if the problem is fixed for a community like that. Today it's well known that " unknown respiratory illness " is in the top 5 illnesses in the USA. Jaimye > > > > Hi, > > > > Bleach is chlorine and it is very dangerous to use in your home - > they used > > to kill people with chlorine gas in WWI. > > If you have mold, use an ozone generator and go visit elsewhere > while it > > does its thing. If that doesn't work, either rip out the walls or > tear the > > house down. Mold can grow inside the walls, carpeting (especially the > > backing), almost anywhere. > > C. > > Re: MOLD AGAIN! > > > > > > > > > > Hi heather, > > > > > > A few suggestions from someone who has dealt with moldy indoor air > > > environments for a living... > > > > > > If you have any visible greying of walls, ceilings, or black spotty > > > areas, do yourself a favor and wash the room out with a bleach(check > > > for colorfastness first of course) or other home anti-fungal > > > treatments good for indoors. Baking soda works well if you can't use > > > bleach. spray or scrub it and let sit for 10 minutes+ > > > > > > Another great source of moldy air is surprisingly your central air > > > system. make sure filters are clean and vents are vaccuumed as far in > > > as you can see. > > > > > > Also, if you can see any dryrot stains(found near very wet or damp > > > areas usually constantly wet or leaks) check under the washer and even > > > the water drain under your refrigerator. > > > > > > Alot of molds can come into the house in draft, etc. but the mold you > > > need to worry about are the molds that come from inside the house. to > > > make mold you need 2 things, damp and warm. without these you cannot > > > have mold, period. Any powerful oxidiser will kill those molds andf > > > fungus. Hydrogen peroxide is strong but has a short standing life. > > > Bleach is good but it will fade colors and noxious fumes. > > > > > > Hope this can help. If there is mold growing in your scoby, then most > > > likely it's affecting you also. > > > > > > Jaimye > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 It won't hurt you any if you let it continue as is for a total of 14 days, see what the white circles do. None of us on the list can tell if you really have mold or not (because we cannot actually see it), and some of the folks who think it might be the new SCOBY might very well be right. Mold generally looks fuzzy or hairy. Even if this might be fuzzy or hairy, let this go for the total of 14 days. It will be very obvious you have mold by that time or you will have this big thick SCOBY on top. You might get some dark growths that look weird in the liquid or just under it (if the SCOBY bubbles up), that is OK too. Just don't give up on it yet until you know for certain! As far as if you have apartment molds, we all do. When you make your KT at any time the jar is open to the air, it is getting mold spores in it. It is also getting yeast too (how beer was invented in Egypt). Some folks with Air filters are probably getting less, but unless you are in a clean room, you probably are getting something other than what you are putting into the jars. Best thing is to do what is suggested and clean as best you can and make sure you have at least 2 cups of starter or more. I usually use a bit more than 2 cups only to get more of a continuous brewing thing going on, but also in case I wasn't as clean as I should have been, as I do other fermenting products as well. My kombucha grows by round little white circles that then grow together... MOLD AGAIN! Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very depressing indeed. Namaste -- mjkern2000@... Quote
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Posted February 28, 2006 Thank you It is mold...it's turning green now. It just has to be this apartment. The first brew was fine, but the second got moldy, and this is the second time that has happened. I tried to keep everything as clean as possible, but there is mildew around all the windows and the carpet is super old so I am sure that doesn't help. We are giving our notice tomorrow to try and find something better. Thanks for the advice, can't wait to move and TRY AGAIN! Namaste > > > It won't hurt you any if you let it continue as is for a total of 14 > days, see what the white circles do. None of us on the list can tell if > you really have mold or not (because we cannot actually see it), and > some of the folks who think it might be the new SCOBY might very well be > right. Mold generally looks fuzzy or hairy. Even if this might be > fuzzy or hairy, let this go for the total of 14 days. It will be very > obvious you have mold by that time or you will have this big thick SCOBY > on top. You might get some dark growths that look weird in the liquid > or just under it (if the SCOBY bubbles up), that is OK too. Just don't > give up on it yet until you know for certain! > > As far as if you have apartment molds, we all do. When you make your KT > at any time the jar is open to the air, it is getting mold spores in it. > It is also getting yeast too (how beer was invented in Egypt). Some > folks with Air filters are probably getting less, but unless you are in > a clean room, you probably are getting something other than what you are > putting into the jars. Best thing is to do what is suggested and clean > as best you can and make sure you have at least 2 cups of starter or > more. I usually use a bit more than 2 cups only to get more of a > continuous brewing thing going on, but also in case I wasn't as clean as > I should have been, as I do other fermenting products as well. > > > My kombucha grows by round little white circles that then grow > together... > MOLD AGAIN! > > > Well, it happened again. Same thing as before. The first batch was > good, the second batch has mold growing on it. Little white circles > of mold. I changed the room I was brewing it in and everything. I > don't understand why this is happening. Any advice to prevent it in > the future? Maybe it is the old apartment building I live in. Very > depressing indeed. > > Namaste > > -- > > mjkern2000@... > Quote
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2006 Report Posted March 4, 2006 > We are MOVING!!! We have been thinking about it, but now its just > settled. That's great, , It's very much a negative health drain to live in a moldy environment like that. btw, mildew *is* mold. Very glad that the kombucha helped you to see how unhealthy the environment is. I hope it works out for you to make this move. --V Quote
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