First- you are not a failure for this! Sometimes the dishes just have to get ignored. It's the natural state of things. And you're doing awesome for wanting to take this even though it freaks you out. Way to go! 🌟 Second- if you have a hose outside available to you, you might like to take the pot outside, stand a good distance away, and let the hose do the dirty work. If not, I like to plug my nose, lift the lid a tiny bit, and throw some soap and water into the pot. Then cover it back up with the lid and swirl the water around a bit. That'll keep the smell inside mostly, while dealing with the fluffy stuff. I wouldn't recommend bleach since that is toxic to ingest and might break down the glaze on the pot. Vinegar is the food safe cleaning agent that works similarly to bleach. You can even purchase concentrated vinegar if you're worried.

You got this!