mold on a yixing pot

[Tead Off]

If boiling doesn't work, you can always soak it in a diluted bleach solution for a couple days, then boil it in clean water. I know several extremely knowledgeable Yixing collectors/users who recommend this. If that won't work, I have successfully removed hard water stains from pots by carefully using fine steel wool. Just don't go overboard with the rubbing.

I've got a Japanese vase and a chawan that have mold smell that have not responded to the bleach soak, hot water soak, or, baking soda soak. But, chittychat's alcohol soak gives me hope! Mold can be a very insidious problem. I hope this works.

[chittychat]

But I'm not using gin, I would use vodka or something unflavored.

-- Sverrir

You are right. Actually what the Chinese said was use drinkable alcohol may be gin. I think what he ment was not to use denatured alcohol. I used Cocosschnaps, a distill made from fermented coconut sap.

[chittychat]

[ Mold can be a very insidious problem.

You bet, it takes 4 months of daily soaking in hot water with epson salt to get rid of a toe nail fungus. Just an idea, should I try alcohol with tea the next time?

[debunix]

You bet, it takes 4 months of daily soaking in hot water with epson salt to get rid of a toe nail fungus.

Actually, the reason it takes so long is that you have to grow out an entirely new nail while under treatment, so that you can cut off all the infected stuff and have nice fresh uninfected nail only left behind. You do that by taking oral antifungals, because that's what protects the new nail from being infected.

Epsom salts won't do it, if the fungal infection is well established. Nor will topical treatments like the toenail fungus liquids and powders and ointments sold over the counter at pharmacies.

Since our pots aren't growing--at least, nothing except the mold!--the analogy breaks down completely here.

[IPT]

You bet, it takes 4 months of daily soaking in hot water with epson salt to get rid of a toe nail fungus.

Actually, the reason it takes so long is that you have to grow out an entirely new nail while under treatment, so that you can cut off all the infected stuff and have nice fresh uninfected nail only left behind. You do that by taking oral antifungals, because that's what protects the new nail from being infected.

Epsom salts won't do it, if the fungal infection is well established. Nor will topical treatments like the toenail fungus liquids and powders and ointments sold over the counter at pharmacies.

Since our pots aren't growing--at least, nothing except the mold!--the analogy breaks down completely here.

That's just Yucky!!!

[debunix]

Agreed!

Now wondering about my pretty new kyusu, which is used daily, rinsed thoroughly, and left upside down in a dish drainer to dry. When I take it out the next morning to use it, usually there is a little water left inside the edge of the rim that drips down to the bottom of the pot. I've tried to position it with the sasame and spout at the lowest point, but that's very tricky.

Is my kyusu at risk for developing mold?

[mretoosk]

We made a good apartment renovating last summer. But after the winter frosts, the moldiness appeared in the wall corners. There was normal heating, plastic windows, concrete house. No matter what we did in winter, nothing helped. Can you tell me, maybe we need to do something now, so we won't suffer next season? I read on the Internet that Rmr 86 helps quite well, but I asked friends, and nobody used it. Are there maybe people who bought this product?

[Spanky]

We made a good apartment renovating last summer. But after the winter frosts, the moldiness appeared in the wall corners. There was normal heating, plastic windows, concrete house. No matter what we did in winter, nothing helped. Can you tell me, maybe we need to do something now, so we won't suffer next season? I read on the Internet that Rmr 86 helps quite well, but I asked friends, and nobody used it. Are there maybe people who bought this product?

I have not used this product but you need to improve insulation to fight condensation. also need to remove anything that has mold inside and replace drywall. If there is mold on wood, you can mist with dilute bleach solution (avoid hitting electrical wiring because it will corrode). good luck

[moosix]

If you notice an affected area, do not put off measures to get rid of mold. Light infections can be removed with folk remedies. But a sure-fire way is to use special chemical compounds Rmr 86. However, for this, it is necessary to do complex work, including cleaning old plaster and applying a new primer and wall decoration. And do not forget that after getting rid of fungi, you need to take preventive measures that are to improve thermal insulation, ventilation, conduct regular cleaning.

[MasterSplinter]

Lots of good ideas here. I have a sure fire way to clean literally anything off of and out of my pots- including shoe polish and mold!
Just place the teapot in a very clean smallish saucepan or stainless steel bowl with 2/3 water 1/3 bleach. Make sure the teapot is fully covered in liquid at all times of this process. Place this onto heat and bring up the temperature. Keep the temperature low enough to be just under a boil so the teapot and lid don’t rattle- a very soft, sub-boil. Soft boil the Yixing in the bleach solution for around 2 hours, refilling with bleach and water when necessary. Let the pot stay in that solution until it is cool.
Repeat this exact process except now with 2/3 water 1/3 hydrogen peroxide. This will neutralize the bleach in all the pores of the pot. After the 1-2 hour soft boil in hydrogen peroxide, turn the heat off and let the teapot sit in that same solution overnight.
The next day, soft boil your pot in some of your best tea leaves of the type you will us for that teapot. After 2 hours of soft boil or so, turn the heat off and let the teapot just sit in that tea solution for around a day. This will bring some oil back into the clay of the teapot.
This process is a hard reset for any teapot and cleans even the hard to scrub places. But remember, any patina is lost and reset as well.
I hope this simple process helps you as much as it has me!

[digitalray]

boiling sure is a good way, but some moulds can live in higher temps..
one way i thought of might be just placing it in the oven at high temps like 200 to 300 °C for some time. this might kill moulds even better (after cleaning, boiling and drying it as if still wet inside the clay, the water might expand and break the pot).
i'm no expert, but heating in the oven when dry sounds ok with me as they were fired at even >1000 °C before, so they should be ok.