Prep first
Before you start
- Put on gloves, goggles without vents and an N-95 respirator before you touch the dish.
- Keep the dish away from food until it has been cleaned and dried.
- Scrub the growth off with detergent and water, then dry the dish completely.
- Fix the damp spot the dish came from, or the mold will return.
Mold on dishes usually shows up in a cupboard or rack where water sat for days. It's a living fungus that spreads through spores, and those spores can only take hold on something that stays damp. Fresh growth lifts off glass and glaze without much trouble, but mold that has been there a while can leave a cosmetic stain that doesn't always come out.
Check for chips or cracks before you scrub, since mold can hide in a broken edge and those spots are hard to clean well. Gold or metal trim can dull with harsh products, so keep the cleaner off the rim where you can. A soft microfiber cloth is the gentler choice for removing mold from dishes, especially on glazed pieces.
Before you start
What dishes & mugs can take
Safe to use1
- Water
Use with care7
- Hot water
- Soaking
- Chlorine bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
- Heat, once the stain is out
7 items
What you'll need
Tap an item to get it on Amazon, or tick what you already have.
- White vinegarThe main cleaner for light mildew, at 1/2 cup per gallon of warm water. (opens Amazon)
- Washing sodaAdded to the vinegar wash, at 1/4 cup per gallon. (opens Amazon)
- Dish detergentFor the first warm-water wash. (opens Amazon)
- Soft cloth or nylon brushCleans the surface without scratching the glass or glaze. (opens Amazon)
- Gloves, goggles without vents and an N-95 respiratorKeeps spores off your skin and out of your lungs. (opens Amazon)
- Baking sodaOnly for a mark that dried on and survived the vinegar wash.
- Chlorine bleach (opens Amazon)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
6 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 6
Fix whatever kept it damp
Mold only grows where moisture sits, so find what kept the dish wet, such as a damp cupboard shelf or a dish left in standing water. Wet items dried within 24 to 48 hours usually won't grow mold, so get the dish fully dry before you clean it.
Step 2 of 6
Brush off any loose growth
Use a dry brush or cloth to lift off loose fuzz, outside if you can, so spores don't scatter through the house. Keep your gloves and goggles on until the dish is clean.
Step 3 of 6
Wash in warm detergent water
Wash the dish in warm water with a little dish detergent, using a soft cloth or nylon brush. Work over the whole stained area, including the rim and any crevice where the growth can sit.
Step 4 of 6
Wash with vinegar and washing soda
Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup washing soda into 1 gallon of warm water, then wash the stained area with it. Check the spot as you go and move on once the growth has lifted.
Careful. Ceramicware should not soak or stand in water for long, so don't leave the dish sitting in the solution.
Step 5 of 6
Rinse the dish thoroughly
Rinse the dish under clean running water until no soap, vinegar or soda is left on it. Check the rim and any crevices, since leftover solution can hide there.
Step 6 of 6
Dry the dish completely
Dry the dish by hand with a clean towel, then let it air dry until it's dry inside and out. Check the spot in daylight before you put it away.
Tip. Store it somewhere with air moving, not in a damp cupboard.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for mold on dishes & mugs
A commercial mildew stain remover is the product type to reach for if the vinegar wash doesn't lift the mark. Use it according to the label directions and test it on a hidden spot first.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
e-cloth General Purpose Cloth
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on dishes & mugs, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
See what to do for what you're seeing →Heavy buildup usually takes more than one round.
Heavy or long-standing buildup →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
Fresh growth should look less fuzzy and come off the glaze with one light wipe, and the rim should look clean once it has dried. A dark shadow that stays after drying usually means the mold has marked the surface, and that cosmetic damage doesn't always reverse. If it doesn't change after a second careful round, stop scrubbing, because harder work only roughens the glaze.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your dishes & mugs
Glass dishes and bowls
Glass is the easiest of these to judge, because any leftover film shows up against the light. Hold the dish up to a window after drying to check the spot. Use only a soft cloth or nylon pad, and keep to a non-abrasive cleanser.
If a faint shadow stays on the glass once it's dry, repeat the vinegar wash once before you move on to the set-in options.
Glazed ceramic and stoneware
Glazed ceramic and stoneware can hold growth where the glaze has tiny cracks, and along the foot ring where moisture collects. Check those areas after drying, and work the vinegar wash into them with a nylon brush before you rinse.
The foot ring is the spot most likely to come back if it's left damp, so make sure it is fully dry before the dish goes back on a shelf.
Dishes with metal or gold trim
Avoid bleach on metallic trim, so skip the baking soda and bleach paste on any dish with gold or metal decoration. Keep the vinegar wash off the trim as much as you can, and rinse it away fully.
If the spot survives the vinegar wash, a commercial mildew stain remover used according to its label directions is the next option, as long as the label allows it on the dish. Test it on a small hidden spot first.
Dishes stored in a damp cupboard
Mold on stored dishes usually means the cupboard stayed damp, so the cupboard is the real problem. Fix the moisture first, leave the door open until the shelf is dry, and scrub the shelf with detergent and water. Wipe the shelf dry afterwards with a clean cloth.
Put the dish back only once both the dish and the shelf are completely dry, so the mold can't return to it.
Chipped or cracked dishes
A chip or crack gives mold a place to hide, and that spot may not come clean even with the full method. Mold in crevices can be difficult or impossible to remove completely. Keep the same cleaning steps for the rest of the surface.
Cleaning it does not repair the damage, so judge the piece by how the glaze or edge looks after drying.
Heavy or long-standing buildup
An old mold mark has often sunk into the glaze or into a crack, so one vinegar wash may only lift the surface.
If the mark has dried on, use the baking soda and bleach paste. Make sure the vinegar wash is fully rinsed out first, then scrub gently with a small brush, rinse thoroughly, and ventilate the room by opening a window or running a fan that exhausts outdoors.
If the spot is still there after the paste, a commercial mildew stain remover used according to its label directions is the next option. Bleach isn't meant for routine use, so keep it for stubborn marks only. If the mark still doesn't come clean, replacement may be the realistic result.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on mold on dishes & mugs?
Plenty of home fixes come up for mold, but many are written for fabric or stone. These are the ones that apply to dishes, with a note on each.
Works2Skip4
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Vinegar + Washing Soda
Arm & Hammer's Super Washing Soda safety data sheet lists acids as incompatible materials. Vinegar is an acid.
If they mix by accident: Don't cap or seal it. Let the fizzing stop, then rinse it away with water. Washing soda is an eye irritant, so avoid eye contact.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't rely on bleach for routine cleaning
Bleach isn't recommended as a routine practice, so keep it for marks that survive the wash. If you do use it, ventilate the room and exhaust the air outdoors.
Don't use fluorine cleaners on glass or ceramic
Cleaners containing fluorine compounds damage ceramic, glass and stone. Check the ingredient list before you buy a cleaner, and skip any that contain fluorine.
Don't put a damp dish back on the shelf
Mold needs moisture to start, so a piece that goes back into the cupboard with water still on its glaze or rim can grow again. Wet areas dried within 24 to 48 hours usually won't grow mold, so give each piece time to dry on a rack first.
Don't plunge a cold dish into hot water
Glass and ceramic can crack when they go from cold to hot in one jump, and a piece that's already chipped is the most likely to fail. Run the wash water warm rather than hot, and let the dish come up to temperature slowly.
Don't scrub the rim with a hard brush
Mold tucked into a glaze crack or along a rim tempts people to reach for a wire brush or the scratchy side of a sponge. Those tools leave fine scratches that give the next growth a place to hold, so use a soft brush or cloth instead.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
Black spots remain in the glaze after scrubbing
Wash with the vinegar and washing soda solution and rinse thoroughly. If that fails, move to a commercial mildew stain remover used per its label.
A plastic lid or rubber seal still smells musty
Scrub the seal groove with detergent and water using a soft brush, then dry it fully apart from the container. Porous items may have to be thrown away if the growth will not come out.
The dish has a crack or crazed glaze with mold in it
Clean it as well as you can, but mold that fills crevices may be difficult or impossible to remove completely. Replacing the piece is the safer choice.
When to call a professional
For dishes, you can almost always handle this at the sink, so a professional is rarely needed. If the mold came from sewage or contaminated water, or it has spread past the dishes into a wider wet area, stop and call someone experienced before you touch it. Tell them where the water came from and how long the piece sat damp.
Questions
Is mold on dishes dangerous to handle?
Handle it with gloves, goggles without vents and an N-95 respirator, so you don't breathe in or touch spores. Brush loose growth off outside if you can, then clean the dish as described above.
Why does mold keep coming back on my dishes?
Mold needs moisture to grow, so it usually returns when a dish or the shelf under it stays damp. Fix the water source and dry everything completely before you wash the dish again.
Can I use colored vinegar?
No. Use white vinegar only, since colored vinegar can leave a stain of its own. The wash uses 1/2 cup white vinegar per gallon of warm water.
Will mold leave a permanent mark on glass or ceramic?
It can, because mold can cause staining and cosmetic damage that doesn't always reverse. Clean the mark with the full method first, and if a faint spot remains after drying, the set-in options are the next step.
Can I use baking soda alone on mold?
Skip baking soda alone on dishes; a vinegar and washing soda wash does the work. The vinegar and washing soda wash does the work, and you can save the stronger steps for marks that dried on.
How do I know the mold is gone?
A clean dish looks the same as the rest of the piece once it's fully dry, with no fuzz, shadow or film left on the surface. Check it in daylight, since faint marks show up better there.
Mold on other materials
Other stains on dishes & mugs
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.