I'm really having trouble keeping the base free from pink mold. I empty it out every other day and spray it with vinegar and it comes back. Tips?
553227
I have never had pink mold but I used to have problems with white dust until I started using distilled water, as stated in the previous answer. I also put a few drops of tea tree oil in with the water.
553228
That hasn't happened to me at all yet. I put filtered water in mine and have had absolutely no build up and I clean with vinegar about twice a week.
953860
I haven't had that issue, but with other things vinegar usually does the trick pretty well. After you wash it, swish some vinegar around it and then rinse. Hope that helps.
1372030
No mold problems yet, but I've only had this for a few months. We leave it on all the time. If it were to get mold I'd put it in the dishwasher.
598157
Just drop them in. I also put a droop or two of clorox in the water. Never had a problem with the pink mold.
930949
After seeing the question, I checked mine and see no mold. I confess I remember to empty the reservoir only about 50% of the time. Perhaps a full reservoir is not a friendly environment for mold.
1177315
I've had two of this same unit for three years & have no problems with mold. All I do weekly is take out the tall plastic unit from inside & wash it in the dishwasher with my other dishes oh also the cap of the water bottle then fill the bottle & base of unit with water & bleach & let it soak for a half hour.
227813
I try my best to just let as much of the water out as possible and make sure to never put anything thats not water into it because cleaning other types of liquids leave a nasty smell and residue as for mold issues or smell after every use I just keep it in my freezer until the next time. Hope this helps
514629
Once I found mold in ours I was unable to remove the taste. I cleaned with various small brushes, soaked in bleach water, then vinegar and it's was still there.
278428
In addition to regularly cleaning the tank with a water-vinegar solution, I've found the best way to reach the tight spots when there's mold or some sort of buildup is to pour in around a quarter cup of rice (a heavier grain like sushi rice) and then some water, then shake the tank like crazy. I spent hours trying to reach around the inside of my penguin tank with tools from a child's toothbrush to q-tips. After my last use, I didn't properly empty the tank, so I had a good film of mold on the bottom of the tank. With this rice and water combo, I was able to essentially scrub out the mold. As far as I can tell, it's all gone. Just make sure to get all of the rice out by rinsing, and to be sure I killed all of the bacteria, I rinsed the tank with hydrogen peroxide.
1383900
Well the problem with any mold is that it's alive, more or less. So, once it starts, one either kills it or does not. What I did (no longer have that machine,) was always wipe the inside of the seal with a solution of pure liquid bleach, applied on a rag, using my finger tip (rubber gloves, OK) as the applicator. That more or less did the job... depending on how bad it was. But there's no doubt it's a troublesome problem. The other thing I frequently did was run a load of HOT water in the empty machine, with about a quart of pure bleach. I think you get the drift: mold is not your buddy; kill it!
841655
Hello Ana,I have the same problem. I tried the baking soda and it didnt' work. Did it work for you or did you find something else that worked?
1542967
Maybe add a little alcohol (vodka) to the water and create a hostile environment for the mold, seal tight in ziploc baggie. No really good idea though, the long term storage combined with the sugar in the syrups compounds the problem.
1807570
So far I just wash it out with soap and water but plan to run vinegar water thru it soon. Haven't had it that long.
24462
I use a combination of baking soda and water to clean the bottle. I just let them sit for a while and that usually does the trick. I hear vinegar works too.
112497
I'm afraid I can't help you there. Your guess is as good as mine. I know at the home depot, they have some anti-mold products that you could try. I don't think boiling water because that might damage the product. Whatever you try, I would just wash it and dry it thoroughly before putting it back in use.
2173389
I did not clean the mold off but I did spray the mold with 1/2 cup per gallon of chlorox/water mix. It was done in the hot summer and the mold was brown in a week. The zinc has it under control now.
1305020
I throw some warm water and vinegar, shake it and rinse it well. Since you can't really see inside of the toy, I'm afraid to use dish detergent on it (can't see if all the suds are out without using like 5 gallons of water rinsing it out). The water and vinegar has been working for a little over a year and a half now without problem!