I get so many emails from people, who in attempt to help their kefir grains, will rinse them in cool water. You should never ever ever do this. It damages them and rinses off the protective bacteria that makes them thrive. So many times they will either die or stop reproducing or not make kefir very well after rinsing. Some kefir grains will survive this and be ok, but it still slows them down and damages them and gives me huge amounts of anxiety.
The coating of milk around the kefir grains protects them and makes them strong. Think of it this way. It is like walking around naked in a snow storm. They need this coating to reproduce themselves, and protect themselves, because of the combination of bacteria and yeast they make up the composition of kefir grains. Rinsing them washes this away.
If you need to change milks then rinse them in the milk you are changing them too. You really don’t need to rinse them at all, but if you want to rinse them. Rinse them in fresh milk.
Please don’t rinse them. I am trying not to shout and put this in all caps, because I understand people just don’t realize that this could hurt them. I am slightly over protective of these micro organisms. I am trying to insure that these little kefir grains stay around and thrive. We need them to help us live and thrive. I’ve been labeled the kefir police, and decided I am ok with this. Somebody has to do it. These little kefir grains changed my life, and I will go to great lengths to protect them. They sit on my counter and work on my behalf day after day and never charge me a dime. They do the work and I receive the benefits. Just doesn’t get any better than that for me. I love them and I just don’t care if people think I’m crazy.
Resist the temptation to rinse them. Tell your friends, Donna said so. I will sleep so much better at night if you do.
Hi Donna! I just saw this page and was wondering about my grains. I took a pause from making kefir for about 2-3 days and then rinsed them off to start over since I had no idea I shouldn’t rinse the grains. The Kefir smells good but tastes a little like milk going bad…not like before. I rinsed the grains again to make a new batch and the grains look healthy but seem to be struggling to make the kefir like before. Are my grains dead or should I just keep giving them milk and never rinse them with water again? —wish I had known not to…
Thanks!
If they thicken the milk and make it sour then they are okay but if they don’t them you will need new grains.
Yes it is very thick. It separates and the milk goes to the top and the whey type liquid stays at the bottom.
Add more milk this time and try making kefir again and see if it is better.
I have been making kefir for a couple of months and love it. Now my kefir milk separates in a couple of hours and is stringy and mucosy. It smells awful and tastes bad. Did I damage my grains and if so can I bring them back to normal?
You will need to add more milk. Try and see if this helps. You might need to add minerals
My kefir grains are also stringy and mucusy, smell awful and taste super sour. We’ve been having some gastric distress as well. The veggies and fruit that I fermented w/ that kefir whey are not bubbly, and one of the salsa jars is turning moldy I think. Should I get new grains and throw away the kefir and the 6 jars of cultured foods and I made with that whey?
I just don’t know how to tell if my veggies/fruit are fermented if they don’t bubble.
Thanks for listening.
I would get new grains they should not smell awful nor should they be molding and not bubbly. It sounds like you need new grains. CHeck thoe jars and see how they smell which is sour and tart. If they smell bad throw them out.
The grains aren’t moldy, in fact the fermented veggies aren’t either upon further analysis – veggies just aren’t bubbly and the cherry tomatoes smell “old”, which could be cuz I over-fermented the kefir by 2 days. Can I re-ferment the veggies that were fermented w/ the “bad” grains? I have Caldwell’s and was hoping to not throw away the 6 jars of veggiesthat are fermented and in the fridge for a week. I will throw away I have to, for sure.
Sonia, just because they aren’t bubbly doesn’t mean they are bad. Have you tried them they are probably fine they will smell real fowl if they are bad. Sour or tart is the taste you re looking for. Taste them and let me know how they taste. Probably fine.
Donna thank you for all your help. Gads…I too have been rinsing my grains. 3 times this week. I am rehydrating them since I just got them in the mail. I have been rinsing them with milk and put fresh milk in again each morning. After 24 hours on counter the milk has seperated and thick. Please help! Have I done them in?
Nothing is wrong they are just fermenting quickly which isn’t bad. Just let them culture a shorter amount of time or add more milk to slow down the fermentation. You’re doing good!
Thanks Donna. You are so helpful. I have a diabetic father who is 85 years old and have him on Kefir for a week and he says his morning glucose checks are the best they have been in such a long time. I have him eat alittle kefir and fruit before bedtime. He is loving the kefir I have been making him. Only down side is I can’t make it fast enough for my husband and myself and have some for my Dad. Thanks for motivting us to get healthy. With diabetes in our family I do not want to have diabetes. Hopefully my littles grains with hurry up and get to working so I can make kefir with the grains, in the meantime I use the powder. Thanks again for getting us on the road to health.
Hi Donna,
I rinsed my milk kefir grains in water this morning. I have been told by my sister that I probably killed them and I have only just read your page and it seems I may have. Is there a chance that they can be revived and if so how? Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
Cathy
If you’ve only done it once your probably fine. As long as they sour the milk and thicken it you’re fine.
Can you eat the left over kefir grains, or are there other things that it can be used for??
You can eat the grains and give
To chickens too. Blend them up in the
Blender.
I have kefir grains and make the kefir with raw milk. After a few weeks the kefir doesn’t just get thick… it gets mucousy… stringy with a snotlike texture. I know that is gross but I dont know what to do about it. The woman that gave the grains to me told me to rinse them well with water every once in a while and I have been doing that. If we aren’t supposed to rinse them… what do I do about this situation? Do you know what causes it?
Are you talking about the kefir that is made gets mucousy and stringy? If this is the case your kefir grains have been damaged by rinsing and are not making kefir properly.
I am living in the boonies of the middle east – and though kefir is available, fresh unadulterated milk isn’t always – can I use UHT or powdered milk?
I know – horror of horrors. What choices!
You can do this. The texture might be different but it will still work.
can i use milk kefir grains on non dairy milks, such as almond or coconut milk.
thanks,
sharon
Yes you can. You just have to refresh them once a week in regular milk and make kefir with them to keep them alive and growing. They need the lactose in milk to stay alive.
How do I store mine grains when I have a lot of kefir until I want to use them again
You need to store them in milk and than change the milk once a week. And store them in your fridge. Place them in enough milk which it 1 cup per tablespoon this will last one week in your fridge before you will need to change it again.
I share my kefir many times . My kefir taste great.
However for The last 2 Weeks, it’s not reproduce . They are growing . 3 big kefir . Can u help me ? What I’m doing . Don’t worry , I never rinse then .
Have you had them stored or do you make kefir everyday? What kind of milk and how much?
I’m doing water kefir and i’m on my third batch but they didn’t multiply this time. am i doing something wrong?
Are you using water kefir grains or milk kefir grains?
Oh my. I had no idea. I will be careful about this in the future. Is kefir still considered dairy or do the grains convert the lactose completely?
Kefir removes 99% of the lactose in milk. Great for people who are lactose intolerant.
I’ve had people rinse grains and panic, I usually give them some prepped strained plain Kefir I have or say if they have some to add that to the grains and milk. I figure it helps reintroduce some of the rinsed off good guys.
Had a friend ask me a question and I honestly dont know the answer. She forgot to strain out her grains before adding strawberry jam. So the Grains have Jam on them. Not sure what to tell her. She is wondering if she should keep using them or get new ones.
She can keep using them just rinse them off with milk and not water.
I have been rinsing my grains about once a week or so, I will STOP doing this!! They are thriving in raw milk from Jersey cows… but maybe they will thrive better if I don’t rinse them… thanks for the tip!
Thanks so much for all these information.
I have a question, should i rinse the jar?
You can but you don’t have too. Just make sure it isn’t hot when you add the grains.
This is good to know. I Didn’t rinse them because I was lazy. But it may explained why my grains are growing fast and very strong.
I started making kefir using quart canning jars. I’m wondering if it is best to keep with smaller jars like those, or can I use one big gallon glass jar and maybe put a few kefir bundles in it?
You can do it however you’d like and what is easiest. All those ways work.
i TOO HAVE BEEN RINSING MY GRAINS BECAUSE OF nOURISHING TRADITIONS INSTRUCTIONS. hAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN MY GRAINS HAVE SORT OF BROKEN DOWN – NOT NICE BIG CLUMPS LIKE BEFORE AND DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FROM THE KEFIR. aNY TIPS ON NURSING THEM BACK TO HEALTH?
Try and keep making kefir everyday to see if they will recover often they don’t but give it time.
Hi donna! Just found out about you and your website! you are awesome! i have 2 questions for you, is it ok to eat the pearls? we own and operate a montessori preschool and urban farm. we are hosting a health fair on sat. sept. 15 and it would be an answer to prayer, if you would participate in our fair. we are going to have a variety of healthcare professionals here and i know it would be so amazing for you to share your knowledge with us. i am going to be at your class next tuesday, but wanted to contact you before then. please let me know your thoughts. blessing to you, Natalie reeder 913.972.5750
Hi Natalie, You can eat the kefir grains. They actually have properties that are really good for you. I will be out of town on September 15th so I won’t be able to participate but keep me in mind if you have another one.
Does this go for water kefir fermentation as well? Thanks, Donna!
You can rinse water kefir grains.
Should you wash water kefir grains?
You can but add some liquid minerals when you do.
What do you do when your grains have multiplied and you have supplied everyone with grains? Can you dry them and put them in the refrigerator with powdered milk for storage or future use?
Thanks
You can do this but it is difficult and doesn’t always work very well. You can always grind them up and put them in your garden or even hide them in food.
Wow what a story….I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND THE GRAINS. BUT AM INTRIGED TO TRY THIS. i AM ON A JURNY TO GET HEALTHY. i MAKE MY OWN KABOUCHA. aND LOVE IT. mY BODY WANTS IT. tHANK YOU FOR SHARRING
we will call you Mother Kefir ! thank you for bringing them to North America, and for all that you do !
with warmth and appreciation,
Jean
Really?! I rinsed mine…hope they’re not dead now! The reason I rinsed them is because Sally Fallon says to in Nourishing Traditions. Why would she tell us to do something that would kill our kefir grains?! I just followed her instructions, never dreaming that she would lead me wrong.
It is something I learned through trial and error. I learned it from watching my grains and others. She wrote that book a long time ago and there is a lot to learn when working with cultured foods. You can rinse water kefir grains but not milk ones. Sally is the best and she might not have realized back then that it damaged them. I have been doing this almost as long as that book has been out. After a while you learn what makes these grains thrive. They kind of teach you.
Okay – I have to admit I have rinsed them after they came out of hibernation/temporary storage in the fridge. I will no longer do that. I promise promise promise.
My e-mail address above should all be in lower case letters. I don’t know why all these caps are appearing. I know that one shouldn’t rinse the grains, but I did it by accident. In the half asleep mode in the morning, I poured some kefir into the cat’s dish not realizing I hadn’t removed the grains. When I saw she left a “lump”, I soaked the dish and only later realized it was one of the grains. I have made kefir since then with this grain, but while it feels rubbery like it is supposed to, it breaks apart very easily which it didn’t do before. Should I start anew?
Many thanks,
Gail Harrison
You should be fine, just keep it in fresh milk and watch it.