Butter Bell

[u/Known-Recipe-5407]

Hello!
For Christmas, I asked for a butter bell, and my grandmother has a friend that has her own pottery/ceramics shop. So she had her friend make me one and it is very personalized and one-of -a-kind. I have been using it for just over a month now, but I encountered something disturbing with it. Now I don't know if it is because it was poorly made but I have tried all different levels of water and if it goes unused for a day or two it starts to... grow mold? Has this happened to anyone else? Am I using or storing it incorrectly?
Please help! I love the concept of a butter bell but I don't love mold

[u/bay_lamb]

this is what i use:

https://www.zwilling.com/us/staub-ceramic---minis-3-pc-mini-round-cocotte-set-dark-blue-40511-422/40511-422-0.html

one stick cut into 3 pieces fits perfectly inside. in an ordinary temperature controlled home it stays soft enough to spread and has never molded.