foul smell
Greetings
Every time I start a new sourdough starter, it catches a bad foul smell, so I throw it away. I'm really disappointed and don't know whether I should abandon trying altogether..
It seems that where I live some bad bacteria are contaminating the air. Or maybe its something in tab water. I tried distilled water, and the results were better regarding the smell, but it didn't rise like when tab water is used. Should I use tab water or distilled water?
I even tried to add minced garlic, as I read it deters bad bacteria. It worked for a few days, but after a week, its effect seems to have gone, and bad smell started developing.
Yesterday, I started a fresh starter, using freshly milled wheat, tab water and a clove of garlic sliced in 4 quarters. Today it got the bad smell, too soon. I fed it and it more than doubled in a few hours, but the bad rotten smell is still there. What should I do when I get a foul smell out of the jar? should I throw it away? I don't get strange colors or mold. Just the bad smell.