So I made a small batch of iced tea in one of those infusers that look like a glass travel mug that almost have like a french press built into it, which pushes all the tea leaves to the bottom, straining them out. It isn't very big, so the next time I made iced tea I used a pitcher and teaballs. Pitchers are hard to drink out of though, so I poured a solid 1/3-1/2 of the whole pitcher into the travel-infuser, but I didn't realize the old tea leaves from last week were still at the bottom. I don't see anything visibly growing on them, but they kind of distinigrate when I shake the bottle. Think its still safe to drink? I know that there are some teas made with fermented leaves, which is pretty much the same thing as what I let happen by accident, right? I'd hate to waste a whole half of this batch of iced tea I made and spent hours cooling down.
Yeah this. Don't drink mold spores. White wine vinegar in a jug is cheap and will kill any mold spores. Soak your tea balls in that. Tea isn't so expensive its worth you ingesting mold.
White vinegar will kill mold even better than bleach. Will also take care of bacteria, too.
I love white vinegar. When I sweat a bunch in the summer I pour in a cup with my laundry and it helps kill any bad odors. No need for fancy shit or increasing the amount of detergent. It's a godsend.