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Moldy wooden spoon

 
pollinator
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During this hot, humid summer, I had to leave my homestead for 2 months to recover from an illness upon returning, I discovered mold on many things including one of my wooden spoons used daily in the kitchen.
Is it cleanable?
How should I clean it?
Would mold spores live in the wood even if it looks clean?
1E443ED2-5413-4ACD-B919-985048D33706.jpeg
Moldy wood spoon front
Moldy wood spoon front
871CB466-FCFA-4968-91F9-F9DFF74E0DCE.jpeg
Moldy wood spoon back
Moldy wood spoon back
 
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Mold is a fact of life where I live. Boiling water should kill the mold. I've used things like that and have never suffered any health effects. I just clean them and go on.
 
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I feel Jordan's advice is a great suggestion.  After boiling add a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil as a preservative.

Another suggestion would be to clean it well and use hydrogen peroxide.  This might also work for items that are too big to boil like a cutting board.
 
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I wonder if after Jordan's boiling water treatment, taking a fine sandpaper to the spoons might help depending on how fuzzy they still look?

Mold is just a living creature - yes there are a few that are deadly, but most of the ones around us live beside us doing good stuff like biodegrading waste as well as at times, showing up where we don't want it!
 
Angela Wilcox
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Jordan Holland wrote:Mold is a fact of life where I live. Boiling water should kill the mold. I've used things like that and have never suffered any health effects. I just clean them and go on.



Jordan, thank you. I will clean it with boiling water.

Ann, I will add some hydrogen peroxide to my elbow grease.

Jay, after cleaning, I will lightly sand.

Ann, I will oil as a finishing step for protection.

I’ve been washing furniture, appliances, stainless steel tables and racks with vinegar all day. My house is smelling much better!  Poor abode was so neglected. I’m grateful to be back home.
 
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I have had this happen as well. I have usually just washed it off with soap and water and called it good. I'm quite wary of mold, but I don't feel like that type is terribly dangerous. You could use a baking soda and water paste on it. That'd be fairly inhospitable to the mold and get out any funky odors to boot. If you were really worried about it having gotten into the wood, you could always wipe off the visible mold and sand it a little bit.
 
J. Graham
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Alternatively, I suppose you could save it for when you are sick to stir the chicken noodle soup to give it a little added penicillin, lol!
 
Angela Wilcox
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I found another wooden spoon with the same fate and washed them both with vinegar, then in boiling water, dried them and set them in the sun to sanitize. I could not find my peroxide. The grain is raised a bit, so after they fully dry, I will lightly sand, clean and oil lightly.

Thank you everyone for your helpful input.  I located some wooden bowls and an antique wooden dough tray with mold, so now I know how to clean and care for them. Cheers everyone!
A2FE61FF-1CFE-4745-A60D-9AC5E0602841.jpeg
Clean wood spoon #1
Clean wood spoon #1
62044657-BCFF-415E-8423-C44D3352CF38.jpeg
Clean wood spoon #2
Clean wood spoon #2
 
Angela Wilcox
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Jordan Holland wrote:Alternatively, I suppose you could save it for when you are sick to stir the chicken noodle soup to give it a little added penicillin, lol!



Ha Ha Ha!!
 
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Sometimes I let stuff bake in the sun's UV rays when I'm worried about spores.
 
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I have found that a vinegar bath does the trick for mold on wooden utensils. I only had encountered it twice, both badly neglected cooking stirrers, but haven't had an issue sense.

Remember to oil your kitchen woods.
 
Angela Wilcox
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Timothy Norton wrote:I have found that a vinegar bath does the trick for mold on wooden utensils. I only had encountered it twice, both badly neglected cooking stirrers, but haven't had an issue sense.

Remember to oil your kitchen woods.



Thank you, Tim. What is your recommended oil for wood that comes in contact with food?
 
Anne Miller
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I like to use olive oil on all my wood utensils.
 
Timothy Norton
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Recently, I have switched to walnut oil and found that it seems to have better absorbs into the wood compared to other oils I have used in the past. Go light with the oiling, too much left on can make it a little tacky.

For inspiration, I would recommend taking a peek at this Badge Bit for oiling kitchen woods! A bunch of people have utilized different substances so it kind of gives you an idea of what you may want to try (Depending on what you have access to locally)
 
Anne Miller
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Angela Wilcox wrote:I found another wooden spoon with the same fate and washed them both with vinegar, then in boiling water, dried them and set them in the sun to sanitize. I could not find my peroxide. The grain is raised a bit, so after they fully dry, I will lightly sand, clean and oil lightly.

Thank you everyone for your helpful input.  I located some wooden bowls and an antique wooden dough tray with mold, so now I know how to clean and care for them. Cheers everyone!



It seems the original poster found a solution ....
 
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