moldy sharpening stone - keep or toss?

Pulled out my sharpening stone over the holidays and discovered it had grown mold; presumably, it wasn't fully dry when I put it away. The moist environment is obvious, but I'm befuddled about its' food source.

But more importantly - should I toss it? I assume that the mold roots go pretty deep, even if I soak it in 10% bleach solution for a while. And obviously I'd wash the knife after sharpening. But still: ew.

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jordan_poudrier_74905

It should be fine just take off that surface mold with a diamond plate or truing stone if your have one then soak it in water then let dry completely the mold should not return aslong as it is completely dry which starves the bacteria. (P.S don't use bleach/vinegar because it could mess up your stone also look here for more info: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/1397-MOLD-all-over-sharpening-stones-can-i-soak-stones-in-bleach )

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Yep, throw it out, better yet send it to me and I will throw it out for you...... I think a little bleach and rinsing will solve your issue, I live in Florida and mold like that can start from a couple of air born spoors.

com-chefsteps

You're hilaaaaarious

Daniel_O_Malley_38420

Hi @Ted. It is very important to allow stones to fully dry before putting them away. I've seen mold develop on stones that were put away slightly wet into their boxes. I generally recommend keeping stones on a metal rack so they can dry fully for a week or more before putting them away in their boxes. So what to do at this point? I think the stone is fine so long as you are able to kill the mold. The mold will be pretty deeply seated, so removing the top layer won't really help except in so far as it might look better. I've had good luck killing mold with a product called Concrobium Mold Control which I bought at Amazon. The stone didn't seem to be affected at all.

Colin_Gore_60299

I've stored my stones wet in a tupperware container so they are always ready to use. I keep a few drops of bleach in the water (like ~0.1% max) to keep funky things from growing. Been fine that way for 3 years so far. Many KKF members do that as well, as long as the stone has a resin bond. Your combo stone is almost 100% guaranteed to be resin bond. I have not seen any combos that are not.

vondes_593348

Bleach is actually a universal remedy against fungus. It is less effective than an antiseptic primer but less toxic. It destroys moldiness due to its active substance, sodium hypochlorite. It is important to ensure that you do not use it with objects that deteriorate interacting with it. Before using it, you should wear rubber gloves to protect the hands' skin. But I would actually start with https://cleanhomeguide.com/rmr-86-review/ it will definitely remove any moldiness without problems.