Wooden mould & equipment question

Has anyone had an issue with unfinished wood moulds or unfinished wood soaping equipment developing, uh, mould on them? I like to wipe down my unfinished wooden soapcutter with a bit of vinegar to get the soap stains out, but I'm a little worried that my soapcutter might develop mouldy spots over time from exposure to moisture.

What does everyone do to prevent the issue? Have you ever had mould grow on your moulds? Should I finish my equipment with varnish or something?

No, I've never developed any type of mold on my cutters or molds. And I just wiped my wood cutter with a warm slightly moist cloth and then wipe again with just a damp cloth. I used a wood cutter and molds lined with freezer paper for 3 years. Now I have silicone lined wood molds and a metal bud cutter.

I've never had an issue either. I have 3 wood loaf molds that are 4 years old that I love. They're my go-to molds for soaps that have already been tested because they hold 4 lbs each. I only use them lined with freezer paper, and they come completely apart so if I need to wash them, I don't put them back together until they're completely dry. Up until a couple of months ago, the only cutter I had was wood as well. That I washed all the time, but never stored until it was completely dry, and never had an issue with mold.

I have 4 wood molds, the oldest of which is 11 years old, and all are doing great- no mold or any other issues. For what its worth, I've never used water to clean them- not even thoroughly wrung-out damp cloths. To get them clean, I just use a plastic scraper to scrape any soap off and call it done. The guy who made my molds told me to never clean them with water unless I wanted to encourage warping issues.


IrishLass

shunt2011 said:

No, I've never developed any type of mold on my cutters or molds. And I just wiped my wood cutter with a warm slightly moist cloth and then wipe again with just a damp cloth. I used a wood cutter and molds lined with freezer paper for 3 years. Now I have silicone lined wood molds and a metal bud cutter.

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Thank you, that's good to know!

jewels621 said:

I've never had an issue either. I have 3 wood loaf molds that are 4 years old that I love. They're my go-to molds for soaps that have already been tested because they hold 4 lbs each. I only use them lined with freezer paper, and they come completely apart so if I need to wash them, I don't put them back together until they're completely dry. Up until a couple of months ago, the only cutter I had was wood as well. That I washed all the time, but never stored until it was completely dry, and never had an issue with mold.

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Wow, that's impressive. Thank you for sharing. I've been letting my plywood equipment dry well as well to be safe. My varnished wooden mitre box could probably take a little damp

IrishLass said:

I have 4 wood molds, the oldest of which is 11 years old, and all are doing great- no mold or any other issues. For what its worth, I've never used water to clean them- not even thoroughly wrung-out damp cloths. To get them clean, I just use a plastic scraper to scrape any soap off and call it done. The guy who made my molds told me to never clean them with water unless I wanted to encourage warping issues.


IrishLass

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11 years :O That takes the cake! Thank you for sharing your woodcare tips, and congratulations on your old moulds! I have been using water on mine but wasn't aware of the warping issue. I definitely wouldn't want that to happen so I'm going to scrape my equipment from now on.


It's pretty awesome to hear no reports of mould so far! I wonder why that is, but it does put my mind at ease somewhat about caring for moulds and equipment.

I have 3 wooden molds that are unfinished. After about 9 years, one of them is beginning to have discolored spots that, to my eye, looked like mold, except that it was in the wood, not on it. DH looked at it, and said it was from the heat of the soap. Apparently, the weaker spots in the unfinished wood can discolor...who knew?

I'm not a soap maker (I make soap rest) but I am a woodworker and you might have tannin stain. If your molds are made from a wood (oaks, ash, cedars, ....) with high tannins, you might have black staining caused by a reactive between the tannins and iron (from a utensil, clamp, bolt, even water.) You can't scrub or sand it away. Oxalic acid will dissolve the stain. It's not harmful to the wood, just a bit unsightly (unless you like the charcoal, coffee, ebonized look!).