Soap Dispenser Drawer Mould?

I always get that if I leave the soap dispenser for more than a week or two without cleaning it. I assumed they all did it.

Hot water, fairy liquid, a scrubbing brush and a toothbrush (preferably one kept only for cleaning...) is what I use. Regularly.

If I leave it too long and it's really disgusting I just clean it as best I can and then dump it in (diluted) bleach for a couple of hours.

AFAIK the only way to stop it is to clean regularly.

the toothbrush reference reminds me of a story from one of my wifes friends... her teenage son was meticulous about cleaning his braces every night, and apparently after arriving home after a night out decided to clean them at the kitchen sink with the toothbrush that was sitting there.. unfortunately this was the one his mother saved for all the wee cleaning jobs, (a few of them being in the bathroom as well apparently)... She just didn't have the heart to tell him about this after she found out he had used it.

cheers

David

Soft water stops it, since fitting a water softener the black mould growths in washing machine and shower silcone have stopped. I assume is living using the salts in hard water.

This is an interesting observation - I had a long discussion about it with a local uni researcher who is seeking another IgNobel prize for some research on kitchen filth and what grows in the sinks of students.

The mould isn't living _on_ the dissolved salts, but the soap scum that tends to accumulate with harder water provides a mechanical substrate that allows the moulds not to be washed away in the initial stages.

I find Milton works as a de-gunker and de-ponger for washing machines. Hydrogen peroxide works even better, but it's a bit harsh on rubber door seals for regular use.

yes. it's probably a slime mould and we have it in the fabric softener section of our washing machine. it's harmless as long as you don't eat it and will not do any damage to your clothing. it does look a bit manky tho.

simple, use an industrial biocide in the fabric softener manufacturing process. there is a chance that the mould has become resistant to whichever biocide the manufacturers are using, it's happened before. or maybe they have a really filthy manufacturing plant, that's also common.

dunno. mrs RT (Industrial Microbiologist) is going to get one of the lab bods to grow some up and see exactly what it is. however, moulds can be extremely difficult to identify. the growth process should take 3 to 5 days and a couple of days to identify.

there is a high probability that the fabric softener is the substrate in which it's living, which brand are you using ? we're using Lenor, bulk pack bought from makro, but we've seen slime in the fabric softener drawer bit with other brands.

sadly, there is no indication on the label as to which biocide Lenor use, otherwise mrs RT would be able to speculate more accurately. apparently, it does comply with "test OECD 301B" a EC wide test for biodegradability. so now you know :D

I'll post the results of the grow next week. cleaning with a simple detergent is probably the best way to clean the drawer, bleach is probably OTT :-)

hth

RT

Thanks for the speedy reply. We're using Tesco's own brand at the moment but have used other makes but have never seen the mould before. Look forward to seeing the report from Mrs RT.

Lawrence

I don't use fabric softener (nasty stuff - ruins towels) and I still get it...

We are in a soft water area, and the chlorine they add sometimes make your eyes water. No fabric softeners either, and still we get mould underneath the soap drawer.

Hi,

Mould likes damp and still air, so try leaving the drawer and door ajar when the machine is not in use.

cheers, Pete.

Slime moulds are mobile, intelligent and really cool. Your washing machine isn't a stimulating enough environment for them.

Probably the growth is Aspergillus niger, it's very common in damp places indoors. If you have a sanguine temperament, just wipe it off every now and then. If you love health scares, google on the name and you'll find all sorts of stuff it can cause but usually doesn't.

We had the stuff on our old Bosch and it's just formed on our new Bosch.

Bosch advised us to use an anti bacterial cleaner on it. Which thinking about it i'll carry out ASAP tomorrow.

What's that poor lifeform ever done to you. Do something useful and apply the cleanser to John Prescott !