What to do when you leave grounds in your reusable cloth coffee filter

We asked our customers what improvements we could make to Ebb Filters and several customers asked us for instructions for when one leaves grounds in their coffee filter for many hours and tips for when they forget to clean their filter in a timely manner.

We know they’re not alone in wondering this so here it is!

How to care for your reusable cloth coffee filter beyond our recommended cleanup window

According to the EPA and FEMA, mold growths, or colonies, can start to grow on a damp surface within 24 to 48 hours, which means you have a good window before you’re in risky territory. Variables that affect that window are if you live in a warm, damp environment versus a cool dry one.

Also consider that coffee has anti-microbial properties, which slows the growth of microbes on coffee but not on the edges of your damp fabric filter.

Here are some guidelines:

1. Clean your filter within 2 hours of brewing.
2. If you forget–for instance, if you go to work and realize that you didn’t clean up after brewing–all is well! Clean up as soon as you get home later that day.
3. If you forget for several days–for instance, you’re dating someone you’re really into and you stay at their place from Friday to Sunday and return to find a moldy filter–say farewell to your filter and order a new one.

If this has happened to you, don't be hard on yourself. These things happen! Now you know and it'll be less likely to happen again. Remember, just rinse, hang up to dry and you're in the safe zone!

Was this helpful? Don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter with loads more helpful tips. Want more reusable coffee filter and coffee ed right now? Head over to the Getting Started with Reusable Cloth Coffee Filters guide, and for brewing recipes, check out the Ebb Guides.