Which Essential Oil for Mold Prevention?

[nathaniel]

Hey all!

So I've posted on my mold problem here before. I've tried everything sans keeping my pipes locked up with damp rid in a sterile container (because why have pipes if they can't be displayed?).

My briar and cobs continue to get moldy (the worst ones are definitely the briar which I have rubbed with briar polish/wax - carnauba based I think).

I have water flushed, cleaned with isopropyl, set in the sun, bathed with an artificial uv light wand, etc... But they still get furry with white mold within a few wks if not exposed to sun regularly. Considering it rains all day long 8months out of the year where I am, this is not a consistent option.

I'm desperate and looked up which essential oils prevent mold growth. There's alot:
Clove, tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, citrus...

I'm considering rubbing the OUTSIDE of my briars down with one of them to see if it works. I assume if it's a failure I can rub it off with hot water or vinegar. Which do you all consider would be best so as not to damage the finish nor adulterated the tobacco flavors?

I suppose I could also try just rubbing down my pipe rack as well. Perhaps that would be enough.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Are you thoroughly cleaning them after smoking or just hanging them up to dry?

 

[nathaniel]

Are you thoroughly cleaning them after smoking or just hanging them up to dry?

I usually just clean em out with a pipe tool and use a pipe cleaner every few smokes unless it's a wet smoker. But I've tried regular cleaning and it doesn't help. If they sit more than a few wks they go moldy either way. In fact I did the whole routine on all of em before getting in a snus shipment and abandoned the pipes for snus over the last couple months and they all got moldy again real quick without regular use. Damn my snus habit.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I usually just clean em out with a pipe tool and use a pipe cleaner every few smokes unless it's a wet smoker. But I've tried regular cleaning and it doesn't help. If they sit more than a few wks they go moldy either way. In fact I did the whole routine on all of em before getting in a snus shipment and abandoned the pipes for snus over the last couple months and they all got moldy again real quick without regular use. Damn my snus habit.

Wow, I'd say that's a pretty unique issue. Try wiping out the chamber with a paper towel after smoking and swabbing out the mortise with Q-tips after smoking.

 

[nathaniel]

Wow, I'd say that's a pretty unique issue. Try wiping out the chamber with a paper towel after smoking and swabbing out the mortise with Q-tips after smoking.

Yeah I'm in a cloud forest with a very open house. The clouds literally roll through. Everything gets moldy. The books are the worst. I've got huge bookshelves that I can't hardly read from without sneezing fits. No good book smell anymore. ?

Now I just read from my kindle. It's the worst.

 

[Duck]

I'm not sure I can be of much help, except to say that of the essential oils you've mentioned - clove is used to flavour tobacco, so that would be my choice.

 

[AJL67]

I don’t know … move, do you live in Lando Calrissian’s Cloud City, but really can i ask were you live because that just all sounds horrible. I live in Florida and most of the year it’s incredibly humid but nothing like that. I’d be tempted to just seal my pipes in some kind of pelican case or something and the hell with displaying them, doesn’t seem worth it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yeah I'm in a cloud forest with a very open house. The clouds literally roll through.

My back yard is a forest and am constantly at war with the resident insect population.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

What about using a dehumidifier in the room where the pipes are?

 

[nathaniel]

I don’t know … move, do you live in Lando Calrissian’s Cloud City, but really can i ask were you live because that just all sounds horrible. I live in Florida and most of the year it’s incredibly humid but nothing like that. I’d be tempted to just seal my pipes in some kind of pelican case or something and the hell with displaying them, doesn’t seem worth it.

On a mountain in costa rica.

 

[nathaniel]

What about using a dehumidifier in the room where the pipes are?

I'm offgrid with solar and hydro power but not enough to run a dehumidifier. And no rooms are insulated enough for one to work anyway ?

 

[AJL67]

On a mountain in costa rica.

I bet the views are beautiful though!

have you tried different pipes, Falcon or something like that that is metal? That way you could seal up your briar in something like pelican cases and smoke out of the falcon and at least it wouldn’t mold up on you. I mean worst case if the oils don’t work.

 

[nathaniel]

I bet the views are beautiful though!

have you tried different pipes, Falcon or something like that that is metal? That way you could seal up your briar in something like pelican cases and smoke out of the falcon and at least it wouldn’t mold up on you. I mean worst case if the oils don’t work.

The views are phenomenal.

I'd quit before smoking a falcon. ?

 

[AJL67]

The views are phenomenal.

I'd quit before smoking a falcon. ?

I never heard of them till i saw bowls for them on eBay i was like ok it’s a little metal pipe that looks like you would be smoking weed out of ?

 

[bullet08]

Mold requires heat, moisture, and no sun. But it also requires something to grow on. If it's growing on the pipe, that means there's something on the pipe that can eat and spread. With living environment like yours, it would be even harder to keep them away. Only trick is making sure pipes are rather completely clean after each smoke. That means every part of the pipe cleaned including mortise. And no tobacco bits left anywhere in the pipe. Even with that, I can't say you will keep mold away. There's always something they can come back to.

 

[OzPiper]

I sympathise with you plight.

We have had 4 months of almost constant rain in Sydney, and mouldy pipes is only one of our problems. I have not encountered this before - not even with my old pipes which were in storage for over 30 years.

I would not go with essential oils, because I do not want my tobacco or pipes to smell of something other than tobacco.

I give my pipes (external and internal) a thorough clean with paper towels and pipe cleaners prior to smoking. I'd run a pipe cleaner soaked in fruit brandy if I was really paranoid, but I don't see any need for this just yet.

I would suggest storing your pipes in a large container with a tub of Damp Rid as a practical and easy solution.

I don't leave my pipes out on display. The majority have vulcanite stems, and we all know what exposing vulcanite to sunlight does to them

 

[didimauw]

Meerschaum?

 

[greeneyes]

I'd store them in an airtight container lined with kitty litter and/or silica. Keep the container closed always. You can regenerate the litter by panning or baking. Just as people keep a humidor to maintain the cigars, you can maintain one to exclude and regulate humidity.

 

[justscience]

I get mold when humidity =>70%. Constantly emptying dehumidifier here every summer, 1/4 mile from Lake Michigan. I sometimes have to store pipes in plastic bags with reusable silica gel packets. Absolutely necessary for porch storage.

 

[verporchting]

Meerschaum?

This