Mold growing on dishes in cabinet?
Debsue asked:
I bought a set of earthenware dishes. First we noticed black sooty rings on the bottom unglazed ring that would leave sooty residue on the plate below when stacked. Happened occasionally and we just wiped off and didn’t think too much of it. After a while we finally figured out it was mold. Should I return this dishes (I love them!)? or do I just need to keep a dryer environment and always use the heat dry on my dishwasher and all will be okay. How do I find out if the mold is dangerous or toxic?
Black Mold
I bought a set of earthenware dishes. First we noticed black sooty rings on the bottom unglazed ring that would leave sooty residue on the plate below when stacked. Happened occasionally and we just wiped off and didn’t think too much of it. After a while we finally figured out it was mold. Should I return this dishes (I love them!)? or do I just need to keep a dryer environment and always use the heat dry on my dishwasher and all will be okay. How do I find out if the mold is dangerous or toxic?
Black Mold
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Black Mold
Return them!
Black Mold
Soak the dishes in a solution of bleach, water, and a small amount of liquid soap. Scrub the bottoms with this solution.
Dry them thoroughly and allow them to sit where the bottoms will dry out completely (place upside down where they will get sunlight).
Now, before you use them again, seal the unglazed portion. I would use a matte finish polyurethane. Allow it to dry thoroughly before putting the dishes back into service.
Black Mold
Could the mold be growing under the glaze? If the glaze is incomplete or scratched, moisture can get down under the finish. It ruins porcelain dishes, a brown stain appears. On earthenware…yipes! Mold??? That’s nasty.
You could try baking your dishes……they could withstand 350 degrees, maybe higher, to dry them out. Problem is this would be an ongrowing process. I’d be uncomfortable with the dishes.
Black Mold
There is probably moisture and dampness in your cupboard. We had this problem when we moved into our most recent house. It was awful one day when I went to pull something out and it was covered. I completely emptied out the the cupboard and opened the doors with dehumidifier close by for several hours. It helped.
Good Luck!