If you need caffeine to get you through the day, your coffee machine is probably one of the most used appliances in your home – but have you ever taken a close look at the water tank? You may want to after reading this…
Alex Hazen was left feeling sick when she took a closer look at her espresso machine – as it was full of something that looked like mould or algae. “Why does it look like a fish tank?” the 30-year-old content creator asked in the caption to the TikTok clip.
She explained that she hadn’t been using the espresso machine as much after switching to matcha, but claimed she still cleaning it “often”. “I’m so embarrassed,” Alex added.
In the clip, posted to her @alexandracolleen account, Alex, who comes from the US, could be seen with her hand in front of her month, and muttering the word “no, this is not happening” repeatedly. She wrote over the clip” “Finding mould in our espresso machine,” followed by several vomiting-emojis.
She explained: “Let me just preface this my saying, I am a very clean person. I clean my small appliances once a week. I don’t know when this happened.” Alex then removed the water tank of the coffee machine, which had specs of green particles at the bottom.
“My health anxiety is skyrocketing right now,” Alex added. In the comment section, many were quick to claim that it looked like algae rather than mould. Algae is the name for a diverse group of aquatic plant organism that live in fresh and saltwater. They use photosynthesis to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants.
One person warned: “My husband sells water for a living. It’s algae. You have to clean at least once a month and ONLY use filtered water in appliances. (Britta does not count it doesn’t actually filter the water).”
Another said: “Mine did this because our coffee maker is in direct sunlight. I have to make sure it’s emptied of water and dried out between every use. Can’t leave water in it.” “I dump and refill the water in mine every day,” said another.
“Not mould, any ‘container’ of water that is exposed to sunlight will get algae at some point. just refresh the water regularly and clean the container with a bottle brush,” someone else commented. Alex replied to the comments: “Still not on the ingredient list for my morning coffee.”
If sitting water is exposed to bright light, it can cause algae to grow. This is why it’s important to keep you coffee machine clean.
There are many different types of algae, and while many are harmless, some can be harmful to humans. Consuming a small amount of green algae from a coffee water reservoir is generally not considered dangerous, but it could cause allergic symptoms. If worried, speak to your GP.
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