Tons of people are flooding Target shelves to grab the latest trend in hydration and fashion, the Stanley Quencher, but keeping any travel tumbler clean from mold is key. NBC New York’s Linda Gaudino chats with a medical expert on best practices.
What to Know
- Black mold is a slimy greenish-brown fungus that grows in high-moisture areas.
- Some Quencher users have taken to social media to share their experiences of finding black mold, while others have reported feeling sick with a sore throat.
- Dr. Parikh suggests cleaning the travel mug every day if dishwasher safe or by hand with non-abrasive cleaners, dishcloth, brush or sponge.
Tons of people are flooding Target shelves to grab the latest trend in hydration and fashion, the Stanley Quencher, but keeping any travel tumbler clean from mold is key.
Black mold is a slimy greenish-brown fungus that grows in high-moisture areas, condensation and humidity on a variety of surfaces, including plastic, wood and aluminum if the conditions are right.
Hard-to-reach crevices under the lid or on the bottom of a bottle are sources of droplets for spores, or mold reproductive units, to spread.
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Some Quencher users, like Skyler Ray Rose (@skysayingthings), have taken to social media to share their experiences of finding black mold, while others, like Nicole Kramer (@nicolekramer_), have reported feeling sick with a sore throat.
Dr. Purvi Parikh is an adult and pediatric allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Asthma Network, who says there is generally nothing to be worried about when consuming black mold once in a while unless you are immunocompromised or allergic.
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"If you accidentally ingest some black mold, likely in small quantities, if you're healthy, nothing really crazy or terrible is going to happen, but if you continue to ingest it over days or weeks, you can get sick," said Dr. Parikh to NBC New York.
Symptoms of black mold exposure include sneezing, coughing, red eyes, postnatal drip and nasal congestion, according to the Cleveland Clinic. For asthma patients, wheezing, shortness of breath and a dry cough can occur.
Dr. Parikh suggests cleaning the travel mug every day if dishwasher safe or by hand with non-abrasive cleaners, dishcloth, brush or sponge.
"We can test to see if you're allergic to mold, but unfortunately, there are no good validated tests to see if you've been exposed to black mold or if you're suffering from a black mold condition," said Dr. Parikh, who cautioned against purchasing any black mold tests on the market.
The Stanley brand site provides a trick to clean those hidden spaces using two ingredients, a quarter cup of uncooked rice and distilled white vinegar.
