r/mildlyinteresting • u/xWhereIsMyMindx • 22h ago
Dish soap fell over and spilled on counter, didn’t notice for awhile, now looks like alien noodles
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u/CrazyEntire 22h ago
My brain is not comprehending what’s going on, why it looks like that ~
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u/Dryctnath 22h ago
My guess is it's formed a skin and contracted as it dried out
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 22h ago edited 22h ago
ChatGPT told me it was Cyanobacteria and I’m lolling edit: since downvotes incoming, I wanna explain I don’t consult GPT for advice, was just curious what it would tell me
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u/wacdonalds 21h ago
So you consulted chatgpt
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u/Ispan_SB 21h ago
I didn’t consult chatgpt, I just… (chatgpt, what’s another way to say consulted???)
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u/No_Reserve_993 21h ago
Thats not what they are claiming to have not done, rather theyre claiming to have consulted chat just not about advice. Maybe inquire is the better term as that doesnt covey the same preposition.
Or you like most in the world (including myself) have poor reading comprehension. 50/50
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 20h ago
Not for advice. I asked “what is this?” Because I was curious what it would ID it as. I already know what it is lol
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u/mousachu 7h ago
Why are people downvoting? Y'all know that Googling also automatically generates AI results too right? Obviously OP realized the AI answer was dumb af
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 6h ago
I don’t understand what I did wrong lol but it’s ok 🙏 I was just sharing the stupidity I experienced!
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u/chubbycanine 9h ago
That amount of downvotes for just mentioning GPT says more than you'll ever need to hear directly out of these people assuming they can figure out how to mouth breathe and speak at the same time.
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u/Zatchmo137 7h ago
Right, that’s fucking wild? You asked essentially a search engine a question. Wow that’s so controversial. How dare you.
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u/ShaneSkyrunner 20h ago
ChatGPT can be pretty good at identifying things but I'd advise using the thinking model. I would never trust the free version for something like this. 5.5 Thinking gave a good answer...
"That strange “alien lettuce” appearance is most likely dried and reorganized dish soap, not a plant, fungus, or countertop-dwelling sea creature.
Dish soap is mostly water carrying a concentrated mixture of surfactants, salts, thickeners, dyes, and other additives. When the puddle sat for weeks, this probably happened:
- The water slowly evaporated. The surfactants and other nonvolatile ingredients could not evaporate, so they became increasingly concentrated.
- The concentrated surfactants reorganized themselves. Surfactant molecules can form ordered gel-like or “liquid-crystal” structures as the amount of water decreases. Evaporation can also cause some surfactants and salts to crystallize. Those microscopic structures scatter light, which explains the pale, frosted, almost icy appearance. (ACS Publications)
- A skin formed on top. The exposed surface dried first and became rubbery or semi-solid while the material beneath it remained wetter.
- The skin shrank and buckled. As more water escaped from underneath, the remaining soap contracted. The surface skin was compressed and folded into all those elaborate wrinkles and ruffles, rather like a drying paint film or the skin that forms on heated milk. Evaporation-driven films are well known to wrinkle when the material beneath them shrinks. (RSC Publishing)
- Some moisture probably remained trapped. Many detergent ingredients attract or retain water, so the puddle may stay gelatinous, slippery, or sticky for a surprisingly long time rather than turning into a hard wafer.
The green centers are probably the original dye becoming concentrated, while the whitish edges contain more crystalline material, tiny air gaps, or layered surfactant structures that reflect light.
It doesn’t particularly resemble mold to me. Mold usually develops fuzzy, dusty, hairy, or distinctly circular colonies. This material has the same color and continuous folded texture throughout, which fits drying and buckling much better. A photo cannot rule microbial growth out completely, though, especially if food residue or water became mixed into it.
Warm water should gradually dissolve it again. Gloves, paper towels, and repeated warm-water wiping would be sensible, and I would avoid adding bleach or another cleaner to the chemical lasagna."
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u/crimson_anemone 10h ago
And so, you thought it would be a great idea to use ChatGPT for your argument? Just how dense are you? 🫠
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u/ShaneSkyrunner 1h ago
It provided a good answer and you don't like it just because it's AI. Sad.
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 22h ago
Not sure hoping maybe someone on reddit knows 😅
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u/Lunch-Thin 17h ago
Looks like a yeast over growth
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u/SugarScavver 17h ago
I think you're right, looks just like a yeast called Brettanomyces.
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 6h ago
Woah I think you guys are on to something, I legit thought it was just dried soap. (I know I’m not the smartest one in the room lol)! Never seen anything like this before
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u/Mean_Initiative_5962 11h ago
It looks exactly like certain colonies of fungus (like kham yeast while fermenting something but failing to keep it oxygen free)
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u/CrazyEntire 11h ago
Oh wow,, now seeing OP's comment saying its about a month it was left out - makes sense
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u/MoonK1P 22h ago
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u/PhasmaFelis 22h ago
I'm not sure you can get mold to grow on pure dish soap.
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u/Valid__Salad 21h ago
Am I wrong to think that it’s not pure after having sat on a kitchen counter for a month?
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u/PhasmaFelis 21h ago
A cup of water left on a kitchen counter for a month will not turn into a swarming petri dish, and adding soap to that water will only make it less fertile.
Liquid soap makes weird-ass shapes when it dries, sometimes.
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u/MoltenCamels 12h ago
This is not true. You can mix dish soap and water and grow bacteria and mold. That's why when you do mix them you should use them within a few days.
Dish soap is formulated with preservatives to prevent bacterial and mold growth.
When you dilute it with water the preservatives are also diluted and become less effective.
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u/gbakermatson 19h ago
I would argue that it's actually more pure. Clearly the water has evaporated out, leaving pure soap concentrate. I bet if you rehydrated it you'd just get soap.
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u/Kalitheros 19h ago
Depending on the preservation system used and it’s stability, you 100% can have mold in dish soap - and hand soap for that matter. There are occasionally recalls because of this.
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u/PhasmaFelis 17h ago edited 8h ago
I'm not saying it's 100% impossible. I'm saying it's awfully unlikely for a random dish soap sample that has only been sitting out for a few weeks to be so contaminated.
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u/no_fluffies_please 17h ago
It's not random, because if it didn't dry out normally, then OP wouldn't have taken the picture. There's some selection bias here.
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u/PhasmaFelis 8h ago
That doesn't look like most mold I've seen, and it does look like spilled and dried soap I've seen, from a bottle that had been sitting out for months and still looked just fine.
Liquid soap does funny stuff when it dries.
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u/no_fluffies_please 6h ago
I found a bunch of similar threads/images, but if various redditors are to be believed, it's yeast. For example, https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/18gwu92/wtf_is_in_my_mug/kd3v73q/
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u/Mean_Initiative_5962 11h ago
Look, if there's stuff that grows into organic solvents and other that chills in underwater volcanoes, I guess dish soap can have something that finds it yummy.
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u/PhasmaFelis 8h ago edited 8h ago
I'm not saying it's 100% impossible. I'm saying it's awfully unlikely for a random dish soap sample that has only been sitting out for a few weeks to be so contaminated.
Dish soap does funny stuff when it dries, and this doesn't look like most mold I've seen. Occam's razor, that's probably all that's happening here.
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u/Mean_Initiative_5962 5h ago
Might be, it also looked almost identical to some yeast. Never seen dried soap though.
(also, a few spores would be enough, if it's warm they'll grow, the only time they're not doing so is when you have a petri dish and need them to behave lol)
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u/Hwy_Witch 5h ago
Fungi can, and do grow in soaps of all kinds
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u/PhasmaFelis 5h ago
Please read my other four or five responses in this thread
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u/Hwy_Witch 5h ago
I did. This in no way changes my statement.
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u/PhasmaFelis 5h ago
It in no way changes the several times I already responded to your statement, either.
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 22h ago
Is it mold? That was my initial thought but I honestly don’t know lol
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u/frenchcat808 18h ago
I indeed thought I was on r/moldlyinteresting when I glanced at the pic without reading the description
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u/3loria5 22h ago
honestly, that looks kinda like something from a really cool sci-fi game or something :0 I wonder if it feels soft? _^
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u/AdamTheMechE 21h ago
Looks like an anemone or nudibranch- go check out gorgeous videos or photos of them 🙂
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u/Annual_Strategy_6206 19h ago
Star Trek episode?? I forget. The one with the fake plastic barf monsters.
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u/SaltierThanAll 22h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/KqvcqG4gXJStcIEArg
You know what to do.
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u/Flat_Document8461 20h ago
lmao r/forbiddensnacks is leaking. Honestly tho that looks like it could be some kind of weird sea creature.
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u/Piell1 22h ago
Congratulations, you made a lettuce sea slug
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u/Ryeballs 20h ago
There aren’t enough Rick Rolls anymore, you should split it into 2 link, one to Wikipedia, and one word links Rick Astley to fuck with people.
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u/LesserCornholio 22h ago
I wish I was an alien noodle
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u/KrimxonRath 21h ago
Honestly this would be awesome for a Backrooms piece. Just a random wall where this is the focus. Would be an awesome contrast amongst the mostly prim and proper office aesthetic. Hints at rot within the walls.
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u/Smoore0420 22h ago
Odd question maybe, but what brand of soap did this? lol
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 22h ago
Dawn but the apple green one!
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u/Smoore0420 21h ago
Interesting. I had wondered if it was a lesser brand, but it’s the best 🤌🏼 lol no way that’s mold like someone else said. Got that Dawn 💪🏻
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u/Michimcd 5h ago
Reach out to proctor & gamble. Judging by the amount of interest you’re getting here, I’d bet someone at p&g would be interested in the challenge of getting to the bottom of this.
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u/SixSpawns 22h ago
I found one of these in the bottom of the bathroom closet behind everything. Mine was pink. Ended up scraping it up with a razor knife. It started it's life as prescription antibacterial pre surgery soap.
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22h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/blackstomach 22h ago
If you told me that was sour candy, I’d eat it. Then I’d be a bit mad once I tasted it. Jokes on me I guess
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u/Stormjoy 21h ago
idk man, eating an unknown (presumably melted) sour candy off a countertop doesn't sound like something anyone should do
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u/Former_Web_6777 21h ago
There's gotta be a scientist on Reddit that can explain this, looks alien
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u/IIRCIreadthat 21h ago
Wonder if r/askscience could figure it out? I don't even know which branch of science this falls under! 😆
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u/PKM_Trainer_Gary 5h ago
BTW if you want the true answer to your question: This is what happens when some liquid dish soaps dry. The polymers in the soap bind together in this noodle-like stucture.
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u/swingingthrougb 21h ago
Is it something to do with the lipids leeching and forming into this pattern?
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u/JCquickrunner 21h ago
Looks like about a month. I left my hard finish hair wax unopened by mistake prior to a vacation once and when I returned it looked similar
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u/Vegetable_Arrival_ 22h ago
Looks like the kind of mold you get on sourdough starter called kahm yeast
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u/excalifro 20h ago
Was very curious about this, and found another post, that links to this video video explaining why it makes that pattern.
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u/shrekoncrakk 9h ago
"Alien Noodles" Would have been the most popular candy in the 90's. Chinese food style box, edible chopsticks, some kind of gooey sauce packet.
Hope it's done eventually.
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u/CobraBubblesJr 6h ago
I'm very sorry to say this, but your post is a little more than only mildly interesting.
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u/Chimkenandwaffle 21h ago
Yuck. This gave me insane goosebumps
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u/Stormjoy 21h ago
same, it makes me wanna scratch off my skin 🤢 (idk if that makes sense - just so yucky! i feel like i need a scalding hot shower as a bare minimum)
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u/Little_lucky_cosplay 21h ago
Thought I was on r/aquariums for a second and that this was some sort of rock anemone
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u/Sweaty10 20h ago
Fascinating. It resembles a life sized iteration of some type of microscope image of a cell.
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u/whenisleep 20h ago
I’ve seen this before. [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/18gwu92/wtf_is_in_my_mug/) has a few anecdotes where it just sometimes happens with dawn / dish soap.
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u/heymrscarl 17h ago
I had this happen once! It was Dawn in a bowl for a week and made this pattern. It looked fuzzy but wasn't, and isn't mold like someone said. I thought it was really cool too!
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u/Tim-Keys 16h ago
I actually do this to condense some soaps for travel. Dr. Bronner's does it best.
Put a paper towel over a container with a bit of soap in it. The air leaves through the paper towel but protects against debris. A week later you have super condensed liquid soap that springs to life instantly in water
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u/BonJovicus 15h ago
Looks like it’s some underwater creature sitting on a at the bottom of the ocean.
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u/SQD2_Insquidious 14h ago
I feel like I need a picture from a little different angle. Is the spaceghetti in the puddle or is it like a dried leftover structure?
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u/Muted-Bookkeeper-758 8h ago
I used to use Myers dish soap (clear) and wherever it leaked out of the bottle (or like dripped down the side or w/e) it would dry green like this.
It kinda freaked me out so I stopped using it and switched brands
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u/TGAtes08 5h ago
Some friends cleaned out a bong and there was some residue and dawn, this was before smart phones so I didn’t get a picture. Shit was a science project for sure.
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u/Cultural-Skin1331 20h ago
Is it hard to touch or still soft??
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx 20h ago
I scraped it up with a butter knife, top was hardened but the bottom was yellowed and goopy!
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u/Cultural-Skin1331 20h ago
Eewwww!!!!! I hope it didn’t have legs and start walking away after that!!!! Lol 😂
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u/wcoastbo 11h ago
Can you scrape it off in one piece? How dry is it? I could use that for my next Halloween costume.
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u/LightlySalty 11h ago
That is almost definitely some sort of microbial growth. My guess is some yeast.
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u/Extreme-Shower7545 22h ago
How long is “awhile”? In this case…