Your kitchen provides a welcome habitat for mold without the right care. Humidity from boiling water combined with issues such as leaking sinks makes it easy for the fungi to thrive. Review what your Orange County mold testing experts want you to know to keep mold from invading your cooking space.

Control the Humidity With Ventilation

Make certain the vent regulating the humidity level in your kitchen is functional. It should vent moisture out and away from your home instead of letting it accumulate the room or worse, the walls. Humidity levels above 75% provide ideal conditions for mold growth. You may need to replace your kitchen’s current ventilation system, especially if you cook frequently.

Deal With Leaks Immediately

Check under your kitchen sink about once a month for leaks. Call your local plumber if you see or suspect a leak to prevent water damage, high utility bills, and mold growth. Also inspect the walls in your kitchen for yellowish-brownish stains indicating leaks, either from plumbing pipes or your roof.

Let There Be Light

Keep the curtains or blinds open in your kitchen whenever possible since sunlight kills mold. If your kitchen is naturally dark, consider a remodeling project that adds at least one window to the space. An airy kitchen is also more fun to cook and bake in, and provides light for growing herbs.

Also open the windows whenever you can to dry the kitchen out. If the humidity in your region is considerable, use your air conditioner to help control the moisture as well as the comfort level.

Clean Your Refrigerator 

Discard any food with visible mold in your refrigerator, such as mold on bacon and other cured meats. Some mold strains do well in cold environments and do not differentiate between salted and unsalted foods.

Take everything else out of the fridge before scrubbing the walls, shelves, floor, and ceiling with a baking soda mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, to create the solution. Soak a clean rag in the mixture and wring it out–do this repeatedly until the appliance’s interior is clean and deodorized. Leave a cup of baking soda in the fridge to absorb odors.

For any kitchen infestation over 10 square feet, work with your Orange County mold inspectors.
Contact Mold Masters, your Orange County mold removal service, whenever you need testing, inspection, or remediation services.