Hi Acer, you raise some interesting questions here! In general your starter maintenance routine has a huge impact on the capacity of your starter to contribute good flavor and rise to your bread. If you neglect your starter and then expect it to perform well, you will be disappointed. However, a mature starter can generally handle a certain amount of neglect when refrigerated, and will bounce back well if given enough revival feedings at room temperature. I don't think how often you clean the jar has too much of an impact, as long as you scrape down the sides and keep the jar fairly tidy. As far as the old and the new starter that are treated the same, as long as the "new" starter has been developed to full maturity (which typically takes about 10 days if you're creating a starter from scratch), both starters should perform nearly identically. It's really all about a good maintenance routine and paying attention to your starter. Make sure it's doubling in size 6-8 hours after being fed, and it should be able to perform well in your baking. Barb

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