mold in my coffee screen (French Press) how do I get rid of it?

[gunsmith]

I've been drinking tea at home because its easier.
last night I went to use my brushed steel french press coffee pot and discovered
it had a little water,grinds and a lot of mold.
most of it was no problem but I cant get little areas of mold out of the screen.
Anyone have any good ideas? I tried soaking in water and dish soap and that got alot out , I don't wanna use bleach as that may damage the rubber parts.

[Boomhauer]

Have you tried something like vinegar? 

Just a wild guess, I don't know much about cleaning. But I have always heard that stuff like vinegar and baking soda are excellent cleaners without harsh chemicals for many things...

[bedlamite]

[MillCreek]

I have three identical french presses.  As I use one each morning, I put it into the dishwasher.  By the time no more than three days go by, I have enough dishes to warrant running the dishwasher.  I also unscrew the plunger rod so the bottom ring, mesh screen and top ring come apart to allow for easy cleaning.

[280plus]

Another vote for soaking it in vinegar AND the dishwasher. 

[Chuck Dye]

Rubber parts? 

Even if you do not own a dishwasher, keeping a box of dishwasher detergent around is a good idea.  That stuff is one of the most powerful cleaners sold for consumer use and does well as a soak when I return from a week, or more,  on the road to find I forgot to clean my French press rig.  Soaking in Calgonite and a little work with an old toothbrush works for me.

[charby]

When my coffee stuff gets moldy, I fire up my tea kettle and hit the contaminated parts with boiling water and them scrub the mold off of them. If they can can take it I will use bleach or one step sanitzer that I use to clean my beer making stuff with.

-C

[Mabs2]

Fire.

[Scout26]

What you don't want free penicillin in your coffee ??   

[Bogie]

Make coffee, give it to Ned, and see what happens...

Oh, you already did that?

[K Frame]

Soak it with bleach for about 15 minutes, scrub it with an old toothbrush, rinse it with water, enjoy your coffee.

[SomeKid]

Soak it with bleach for about 15 minutes, scrub it with an old toothbrush, rinse it with water, enjoy your coffee.

Mixing mold, with bleach, then putting it in your mouth. Why does this make me think you are trying to get him to take a hit of meth? 

[gunsmith]

some good ideas here, I'll give you all an update.
I noticed no one sad anything about it being a french press, not a freedom press!

[Mabs2]

Soak it with bleach for about 15 minutes, scrub it with an old toothbrush, rinse it with water, enjoy your coffee.

I thought that said rinse with your coffee.  hehehe.

[coppertales]

Hydrogen Peroxide.....soak it in it then wash.  I get mold in my coffee maker now and then when we go out of town for the weekend and I don't clean the maker before I leave.  I just rinse it out and use it.  Never any ill effects from it......chris3

[K Frame]

Soak it with bleach for about 15 minutes, scrub it with an old toothbrush, rinse it with water, enjoy your coffee.

I thought that said rinse with your coffee.  hehehe.

I gargle with my coffee.

[Fudgieghost]

Do you know how to take it apart?  Unscrew the screen/plunger assembly?  Once you do that, I'd use baking soda (greatest cheap stuff on earth), and, as other's said here, a tooth brush or pot scrubbing brush and make a paste. . . that should remove the mold. . for fun, you could add some ww vinegar to your baking soda paste for a blast of foaming . . . stuff. . rinse well.   

Good idea to do that about once a month anyway.  The BS will neutralize the acids left in any residual coffee. . . .