My sourdough starter is 2+ weeks old. Everything has been going beautifully and I've cooked with it daily for about 12 days now . It is stored on the counter with a tea towel over it. No problems!!
Today, my dh put out foggers to kill fleas that have come in the house on our clothing. The starter still smells and looks the same, but my concern is that the starter may now have been tainted. Any input is appreciated!
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I don't think you should be concerned about the starter so much as the tea towel, which would have
absorbed the mist, since you had it covered. I'd just replace the tea towel. Take Care and tell dh to
put away any food including the starter before he fogs the house again. :-)
As soon as I realized the starter was out, I removed the tea towel and replaced it with a fresh one. I have recently cleaned my kitchen so much, he doesn't know where anything is in there. ;) I haven't baked with it yet, but I've continued as usual babying it. Thanks for your input!
That is if you haven't already baked with it. Sorry this is kinda late. I agree that most of the mist was probably absorbed by the towel, but your starter is Aerobic it breathes. Just think of it as reducing the possibility of ingesting something toxic. In the microbial world the rule is to clean everything in order to reduce the microbial load. I am also a proponent of don't throw it out it.
In this case we just want to reduce the possibility of toxins. I would carefully remove the upper portion of your starter and discard it. Then take a small portion of the remainder from the bottom of the jar to build a new starter. Around 20-30g (1-2Tbs) Place it in a new clean jar and discard the rest. Refresh the small amount one day with a small build, then refresh again another larger build a second day before you bake. You can probably still use your other container by cleaning it thoroughly unless it was plastic. If your container is plastic I would discard it as well.
This way you are reducing the possibility of toxins to a very tiny amount if any at all - so in a day or so you should be back to baking with a healthy starter. :)
Terri
I appreciate your response. I followed similar instructions to what you recommended and I have since baked with it. We have all been well. :) And, the starter is doing well, also! :) Thank you!