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Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,193
Registered: ‎07-21-2014

Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

[ Edited ]

I just noticed last night that it looks like mold on the top of the filter of my PUR  Filter Pitcher. 

 

The filter is not ready to be changed yet. I noticed this when I took the top off of the pitcher to put more water in.

 

Did anyone have this ever? This is not good since I have mold allergies among others.

 

I like using the Filtered water and it is more cost effective and convenient to do it this way than to drag large jugs of water from the store.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. —Helen Keller
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,589
Registered: ‎12-23-2015

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

we have never had mold in our britta . when i change the filter i put it in dishwasher.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,193
Registered: ‎07-21-2014

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

It looks like mold on the top of the  actual filter not the pitcher though.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. —Helen Keller
Honored Contributor
Posts: 35,612
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

After each filter change, the pitcher needs to be thoroughly cleaned with bleach to remove any mold spores and bacteria. Be sure to clean the seal as well. Also, keeping the pitcher away from light and heat will minimize growth.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,578
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

I had an issue with my Brita,

 

being exposed to light and not being kept in the fridge during the summer was the cause IMO

 

 

I washed everything and changed the filter.  it was fine 

 

 

 @Pooky1    how do the pitcher hold up in the dwasher and do you wash the top as well?

 

I have thought about doing that but didn't 

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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,589
Registered: ‎12-23-2015

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

 jackthebear it holds up well.  flip top lid is digital so that i just clean with a clorox bleach wipe. i put pitcher  itself in bottom rack and other peices on top rack. good luck.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,753
Registered: ‎08-16-2016

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

I've had green growth -- algae? -- in the bottom of my pitcher when I leave it in direct sunlight too much. The treatment is to disassemble and wash with hot water and vinegar, then detergent. I never put my Brita in the dishwasher, but I do scrub the sink before I wash the pitcher parts. I figure it's several weeks between washings and it needs to be very clean to start.

 

I've never had any moldy growth on the top of the filter. Ugh. But I imagine the same treatment would take care of it.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,545
Registered: ‎03-24-2018

Re: Water Filter Pitcher mold?!

[ Edited ]

We buy our water in small bottles and jugs of water! I had thought of the filter pitcher but decided against it.  I came across this online:

 

Our Brita Water Filter Made Me Sick.
 
On a website called Beating Upwind, a real estate company.
 Read Below
Britta water jug

The culprit

UPDATE: I’ve totally given up on Brita. I had more “gastrointestinal problems” after writing the blog post. We’re now just buying huge jugs of water from the grocery store.

If you use a Brita water filter you need to be very careful with it. I pretty much lost a week of my life recently because there was stuff growing in it and I didn’t realize it.

I drink a lot of iced tea – probably a half gallon a day. Back in the day I was drinking Coke and Dan wanted to get me off that onto something that was more healthy, so we bought some tea bags and sugar and started making our own tea. Thing was the water in our building isn’t all that clean, so we bought the Brita filter/jug you see to the right.

Because it’s easier to make the tea and dissolve the sugar when the water is warm, we just kept the Brita jug on the counter. Sometimes I’d put it in the sun if I was about to make a batch of tea. BAD idea… I didn’t think about the fact that sun and warmth would let things grow.

About a week and a half ago I started getting sick. Stomach felt really bad, I was lethargic and there were bouts of diarrhea. I’m a bit prone to gastrointestinal stuff, so I just put up with it and thought it would go away in a day or two. Well, it didn’t go away. And when the diarrhea was worst I didn’t want to get dehydrated, so I’d drink more iced tea. What I didn’t know was that was making things worse.

Finally after 5 or 6 days I figured it out. I replaced the filter, cleaned the pitcher with hot water, and within 24 hours I was back to normal. Lesson learned.

I’m still using the Brita pitcher, but now it’s in the fridge. If you have a Britta or go to someone’s home who has one – make sure it’s kept in the refrigerator… Just changing the filters when they tell you to isn’t enough.