How to Get Mold Out of a Straw? Step-By-Step Guide

It’s always nice to treat yourself to a cool drink every now and then, but everyone should know how to remove mold from a straw. When you use a plastic straw, you’re more likely to experience this problem than when you use metal or glass straws.

Using a metal straw might leave a metallic taste in your mouth that makes you wonder if you have good taste. Because glass straws are so easy to break, you should avoid using them in your drinks at all costs.

In terms of ease of use and disposal, plastic straws are the clear winner. With the sun’s scorching heat stimulating mold growth, the inside of your plastic straw may be a breeding ground for molds.

What To Do Before The Cleaning

It doesn’t matter how big or little the mold problem is, you must take safety procedures before handling molds. For this reason, as well as the fact that they are still well-known to cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems,

Put on an N-95 mask and gloves if you can. If you have a compromised immune system, you should delegate the cleaning to a professional mold remediation company or someone else in your household.

How to Get Mold Out of a Straw

Step 1

Place the moldy straw in the hot soapy water in your kitchen sink and let it soak for a few minutes. If you need to keep the straw submerged, place a heavy dish on top of it. To dislodge the mold, soak the straw for 10 minutes in soapy water.

Step 2

Take the dish and straw out of the soapy water and rinse them. To remove any larger mold fragments, fill the straw with warm, clear water from the tap. Drain the soapy water from the kitchen sink.

Step 3

Warm water and a chenille or terry cloth pipe cleaner will do the trick. To remove any remaining mold, push the pipe cleaner in and out of the straw many times, being careful to keep it as straight as possible. To clean the straw, use a larger pipe cleaner or one covered in non-pilling cotton cloth if the first pipe cleaner is too small.

Step 4

You can do this by repeatedly scrubbing the straw, pipe cleaner, and cloth under the tap with warm water until there is no mold lingering inside.

How Often to Clean Reusable Bottles and Straws

Even water-purifying bottles like the Monos Kiyo UVC Bottle should be cleansed after each use if possible. It’s recommended that bottles be washed at least once every two days if not more frequently, but even if you don’t, you should remove the cap to allow the bottle to dry out. Weekly sanitization of water bottles and straws is recommended. 1 At least once a week, the straw’s pouch or case should be cleaned.

What Should You Know About Mold?

Mold is a fungus that thrives on small, microscopic spores that spread throughout the environment. As long as we don’t inhale large quantities, mold spores aren’t harmful to humans. The problem arises when mold multiplies.

Moisture, food, and warmth are all that mold needs to thrive. Three factors are necessary for mold to survive and multiply quickly in an environment.

Mold spores pose the greatest risk to a family’s health when they are inhaled. Mold spores are carried through the air by the greater the patch of mold, and the more people of the home are exposed to them.

Coughing, wheezing, asthma, nasal discharge, and other respiratory diseases can all be caused by mold inhalation.

Mold growth in sippy cups, on the other hand, poses a unique set of hazards. An disease caused by ingestion of the mold rather than inhalation is the greatest danger if a cup of mold grows.

What If My Child Ingests Mold?

Mold or mildew in a sippy cup doesn’t mean you should freak out. Mold isn’t toxic in all forms, and some youngsters may be allergic to it (2).

Cleaning your child’s cups properly will help decrease their exposure to mold, some of which can be toxic and have negative effects on health.

The following are possible signs and symptoms in children who have consumed mold:

• Cramps in the abdomen.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Dehydration.
• Nausea.

Some of the more severe symptoms of a food allergy can occur if a child is allergic to mold.

• Rashes.
• Difficulties in taking a breath.
• An increase in the size of one’s face or lips.
• Sensation of twitching.
• Sneezing.
• A stuffy nose.
• Congestion in the nose.
• Coughing.
• Wheezing.
• Symptoms that are similar to the flu.

How To Prevent Mold Buildup In Straws

It is impossible to completely clean a surface with hot water and soap. Once a week, use chlorine bleach or filtered white vinegar to sanitize bottles and straws to ensure they are free of germs and fungal spores.

Pour one gallon of hot water into a clean sink or dishpan before adding a tablespoon of chlorine bleach. Allow the containers and lids to soak for five to fifteen minutes in the solution.

After rinsing in hot water, allow them to air dry.

A cup of hot water and two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar is all you need if you’d rather avoid bleach. Ensure that you have enough liquid to fill the water bottle, as well as enough to lubricate the lids.

Set the bottle of water out for 15 minutes before drinking it. After thoroughly cleaning with hot water and emptying the container, let it air dry.

While on vacation, the easiest thing you can do to dispose of your reusable straw is to “rinse” it by drinking water or placing it under a running tap. You’ll still have to clean it thoroughly when you get home.

If you don’t have time to use a brush, you can use dental floss to clean a reusable flexible straw. Straws can be used to remove dirt by threading floss through them and soaking them in soapy water.

Drinking contaminated water can be dangerous, especially because some molds are difficult to detect, such as the white water mold. Once you’ve consumed it, the risk is multiplied.

Conclusion

Even if you don’t drink, it’s a good idea to know how to remove mold from a straw. Molds, on the other hand, aren’t particular about where they live, so your tiny straws won’t be an exception.

Keep these suggestions in mind and you’ll be sipping blissfully in no time!