Filtered water is always better than just tap water. You get safe water to drink and get rid of any unwanted germs. Sometimes it could be even viruses; you don’t want to be sick after drinking water, right?
However, even after altering your water, sometimes you may notice some black particles or others. The question is, why does the Brita filter have black dots in it?
Well, the answer can be a lot of things. The most straightforward explanation would be, the water you are filtering having faults in it.
But that is just one brief explanation. If your Brita filter has black dots in it, let’s get in-depth about the issue and know how to fix it!
What Is The Black Mold In My Brita Filter?
In a regular Brita filter, the carbons that are underneath the filter can get activated. Therefore, while filtering the water, it gets mixed up and causes black mold.
Sometimes, molding spores can grow in the filter. This is unhealthy as molding spores can cause health problems, although it’s not that harmful in small quantities.
Fun fact: molding spores have hundreds of years, depending on the circumstances they are in. But don’t worry, even if your Brita filter has molded in it, we’ll fix it, just in a minute.
How Do You Remove Black Mold From Brita?
Why would you ever want to drink unclean water? Nothing sucks more than your Brita filter getting mold and failing to alter the water. If your Brita has gotten black mold, let’s get to fix it.
Before you go through the do’s and don’ts, know that these methods don’t apply only Brita filters. It can work on almost every pitcher. Now, let’s look at the things that will be needed to remove and clean the filter.
- Water
- Dish Soap
- Vinegar
- Sponge or foam
- Towel
- New filter
The ingredients needed to fix any black dots or generally clean the filter can be found in almost any household, minus the new filter. Now, before cleaning, there are some parts you need to be careful about.
- Disassemble the Filter
Before doing anything, you need to put apart your Brita filter. If your Brita filter has anything inside it, water, carbons, etc., empty the filter and dismantle it. This part can get quite tough if you don’t do it the right way.
- Detach the Cover
Detach the cover from the filter after taking everything apart. A key to always maintain a clean filter is to replace the cover or screen often. Even though a filter’s job is to alter water, a screen makes the process a lot better. If you don’t change or clean your cover often, it will become unsanitary.
- Clean the Filter
After the above steps are followed, now it’s time to clean your Brita filter. Take all the time you have in the world for this step.
Use your sponge or foam mixed with dish soap to wash the Brita filter thoroughly. You can use vinegar instead of dish soap too. Again, take a lot of time for this step.
After cleaning the insides of the pitcher, wash and clean the other parts of the filter that you have dismantled earlier. Using vinegar or detergent is highly recommended for the different filter parts instead of just dish soap.
- Clean the Mold
This step is not compulsory as you have cleaned the pitcher thoroughly before. Nevertheless, if you still notice any black molds or any decays in the filter, clean that.
Even after cleaning, if you notice anything, mix vinegar with water and drop the parts that are not completely clean yet.
- Soak and Dry the Parts
After you know that your Brita filter is free from any black dots, molds, or anything unhygienic, you rinse the parts of the filter.
If you have the patience, you can rinse the parts in lukewarm water; it’s the best way. Or if you can’t do that, rinsing it normally will do.
Now that all the parts are flushed, it’s time to dry them. Before you assemble back the parts together, it’s essential that all the parts of the pitcher are completely dry.
Because if there is a single part that is not thoroughly dried yet, there is a chance of the filter getting molds again. All that cleaning and rinsing will go to waste then.
- Preparing the New Filter
Now that everything is dried, time to prepare the new filter. Also, here, take your time to prepare the filter too.
Putting the filter is pretty easy unless your Brita filter is one of the newer models. If that’s the case, you might have to go the extra mile.
- Putting Back the Pitcher
Everything you need to do to remove any black molds or dirty things should be done by now. All you have to do now is reassemble your Brita filter.
Start by assembling the individual parts of the pitcher, but before that, put some water inside and scatter it. This is not necessary, but if you think you might still have some molds in there.
Once the assembling is done, you have a clean Brita filter, free from any molds. Pat yourself!
Can Brita Filters Get Moldy ?
The above part was to help you clean your Brita filter and get rid of any molds. But when does the filter get moldy?
Well, if your filter is not cleaned regularly, it’s completely normal to see specks of dust or molds. You need to wash your Brita filter now and then to avoid any dirt.
Microorganisms like algae or mold spores can develop in the carbons of your Brita filter. Molds are airborne and need oxygen, food, and water to live. Drinking water that has these in it can make you sick.
Brita itself recommends cleaning the filters every 40 gallons, which means giving your filter a nice cleanup every two months.
With all that being said, take care of your filter. Wash and clean your Brita filter or any water filter regularly to avoid any unhygienic stuff. That’s all it takes.
