Mold Can Grow in the Most Surprising Areas
It’s not that unexpected to find mold in your kitchen. Just think of the food inside your fridge. Did you ever toss something that got too old and had mold growing on it? Tossing moldy food in the garbage is easy. But what if you find mold inside your household appliances? It may seem like the most unlikely place for mold growth. How would you feel if you discovered mold in your dishwasher? Freezer? Ice maker?
How Does It Happen?
All these appliances have one thing in common: Moisture. It only takes less than 48 hours and mold can begin growing. If you turn off any appliance that has moisture inside of it, the dampness becomes trapped inside and given a little grime or dust, then mold can feed and grow. Yuck!
What You Can Do
- The first task is to get the inside of your appliance clean and completely dry. You may need to unplug it and pull it out. Open the doors to let it air out.
- Next you will want to scrub the inside of your appliance with soapy water. Fill a bucket with warm water and then add two tablespoons of dish soap. Dip a bristle brush in the soapy water and scrub the affected areas. Then rinse with water. When you pre-scrub the mold it helps to break up the surface area so that the cleaner can penetrate to the roots and kill the mold.
- Clean with a cleaning solution. There are several solutions and products. Do not mix solutions. You can do equal parts of water and ammonia. Or 1 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water. Or use pure distilled vinegar. Whatever solution you select, apply the liquid cleaner and allow it to stand for 15 minutes to penetrate and kill the mold. After it has soaked in the cleaner, scrub the area with a bristle brush or a scrubbing pad. Then rinse the area with water and remove any leftover mold or cleaner with clean water.
- Last, wipe the area completely dry with a squeegee or towel to remove any excess moisture and prevent any mold from growing again.
Mold in Your Home
If you find mold in your home, it important that you contact a certified mold removal service to come in and assess the situation and provide professional mold remediation. This can help keep your family and home a safe and healthy place.
