After finding black mold in her Primo water cooler, a TikToker posted a PSA to remind customers to clean their water machines properly.
Casey Madison (@casey_madison) has reached over 3,000 likes on her viral video. She told viewers in the caption that this is for, “Educational purposes only at this point. Please clean your machine.”
What lurks inside
In her 2-minute clip, Madison begins by recording her Primo Bottom Loading Water Dispenser and adding a voiceover of herself talking. As she lifts the top piece off the cooler and films the inside water pump, she then picks up a small white tube that had previously been pulled out. “This is where I originally found the gross stuff, floating in that little tank,” she says.
Next she removes the lid from the water pump and further explains that before she had cleaned out the inside. “There was a whole hose system in here that had that, quote on quote, black mold,” she said, referring to the white tube she previously recorded.
Madison moves on to a second hose that was still intact and is used to dispense the cold water. After she disconnects the hose from the water pump base, she records the inside. It shows that the clear walls of the tube had a slight brown color to it.
“Not too bad compared to what you’re about to see,” she says.
‘Please clean your water machines’
She then adds another slow-motion video of the opposite end of the hose finding more bacteria growing inside of it.
“Still not as bad as what you’re about to see,” she adds, “so disgusting, I get nauseous every time I watch this.” Madison shows the original hose that she said she found mold in by adding another slow-motion video focusing on the inside of the tube. The tube had multiple black spots growing on both sides, as well as clumped up brown dirt near the bottom.
“Please, please clean your water machines,” she insists, “I failed to do so.”
As she moves around to the back side of the cooler she says that the worst part is what she found underneath. She disconnects another hose and brings her camera to show the inside filled with more black mold spots.
“Just wait,” she says.
Adding in another slow-motion video, Madison squeezes the clear hose as liquid black mold oozes out and into her hand. “That is disgusting,” she says.
“Like I said, this is for educational purposes only, please clean your water machine,” she adds before ending her video. “I can not believe I was drinking this … I take full responsibility for not cleaning mine.”
In the caption of her video she told viewers, “UPDATE: I feel SICK.”
“Imagine soda machines that NEVER get taken apart,” a user mentioned in the comment section of Madison’s video.
“There is no way we are supposed to know this..” another said, “it has to be an alternative, I wouldn’t remember how to put all that back together.”
“But what about my fridge water dispenser…… how do I clean that!!!!” one added.
How do I clean my Primo Water cooler?
Primo Water states on their website that everything you need to clean a water dispenser to prevent mold from growing is “easily found around the house or at a local store.”
“You’ll need: two tablespoons of regular bleach or two cups of distilled white vinegar, one empty 5-gallon bottle, one 2-gallon bucket, and a Phillips head screwdriver,” they explain. In just 15 steps, Primo says “you can have peace of mind that you’re drinking safe, clean, and high-quality water in every glass.”
Primo recommends to clean your water dispenser for 30 minutes once every three months, and to “show your dispenser some love!”
If you do happen to find mold in your dispenser, multiple other creators on TikTok recommend and agree that “the best solution is BLEACH water. A little goes a long way.”
@caseymadison4 UPDATE: 🤮 i feel SICK. Educational purposes only at this point. Please clean your machine 😩 #primo #primowater #watermachine #fyp ♬ original sound – Casey_Madison
The water cooler in question retails for about $180 at Sam’s Club.
The Daily Dot reached out to request a comment from Madison via TikTok comment section and direct message. And to Primo Water via email.
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