Discovered mold in a cupboard in your kitchen or bathroom? It’s a nasty surprise, right? Never fear — we’re here to help you learn how to get rid of mold in a cupboard!
We’re Cleaner Guys, a mold inspection and mold remediation company in rainy Washington State. We have more than 20 years of experience dealing with mold of all kinds in people’s homes, including in cupboards! In this brief article, we’ll give you the insider scoop on what’s happening in your moldy cupboard, what to do about it, and how to prevent it in the future. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
- The Short Answer: How to Get Rid of Mold in a Cupboard
- What Kills Mold 100%?
- How to Clean Mold Safely
- What Exactly is Mold?
- Why Does Mold Grow in Cupboards?
- Is Mold Dangerous?
- How to Prevent Mold in Cupboards in the Future
- More Resources
The Short Answer: How to Get Rid of Mold in a Cupboard
How to get rid of mold in a cupboard is unfortunately not as simple as wiping it down with some cleaning solution and that’s it. You can start with that (although it’s risky), but it’s very important to also get a professional mold inspection! This is because if there is mold in a cupboard, there is very often mold in the drywall behind the cupboards too. This is mold that you can’t see, and it may have spread much farther than you think between your cupboards and the wall.
If you just wipe away the mold in your cupboard, and ignore the strong possibility that there is more mold behind your cupboards, then if there is mold back there, it will continue to spread, and eventually, the mold will just show up again in your cupboards!
So, as you figure out how to find the best mold inspection company near you, you may be wondering if you can clean the visible mold yourself. That’s what we’re going to talk about next!
How to Clean Mold Safely
If you or anyone living with you has any health conditions, we strongly recommend that you do not attempt to clean mold yourself! Mold can be very dangerous to people with respiratory illness or immunocompromising conditions. Additionally, some species of mold are much more toxic than others, and it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. Many people decide to just leave all mold cleanup to the professionals, and we strongly advise you to consider this route.
If you’re going to attempt to clean the mold yourself anyway, you must wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure that you come in contact with as little mold as possible. Mold spores will be agitated into the air when you try to clean the mold, so it’s important to prepare as though you are about to stir a contaminant into the air (which you are).
Wear an N-95 mask to prevent inhalation of mold spores, wear a long-sleeved shirt and cleaning gloves to prevent skin contact with the mold, and wear safety/cleaning goggles to reduce potential eye irritation from the mold spores.
Once you have all your PPE on, open the windows to the affected room, and if possible, point a fan out the window to encourage air flow out of the window. This will help move the mold spores you stir up out of the window, so they don’t hang around in your home and potentially spread.
Then, spray your chosen mold cleaner (see next section for what to use) very thoroughly on the mold, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Then, scrub it thoroughly with a scrub brush you will throw away afterward, and wipe it down with a dry cloth you are also willing to throw away afterward. Repeat as necessary.
What Kills Mold 100%?
In our experience as a professional mold removal company, the best cleaning chemicals to kill mold are antimicrobial fungicides, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. These options are very strong cleaners, but they are not toxic or damaging like bleach is. They will do the best job at removing mold from surfaces, such as in a cupboard.
Keep in mind, not all fungicides are created equal, or will do an equally good job! We recommend Shockwave fungicide by Fiberlock as the product we trust the most. We are not affiliated with Fiberlock in any way, we just like their product and use it in our own work.
However, keep in mind that none of these cleaning solutions will be effective on their own against a large amount of mold! Mold spreads and roots deeply into any material it can, including wood and drywall. That means that the mold in your cupboard may have already spread and rooted too deeply for any cleaning chemical to penetrate fully. Cleaning it with a fungicide, vinegar, or peroxide is a good start, but you will likely need the help of a professional mold removal company to completely get rid of all of it.
What Exactly is Mold?
Mold is a fungus that grows wherever it can find moisture, warmth, a food source it can absorb, and oxygen. This means that mold is most commonly found in areas with high levels of humidity, or anywhere there is water damage, like a leak or a flood. Not sure what counts as water damage? Find out in 30 seconds by opening this article in a new tab.
Mold spores are floating around in the air all the time, both inside and outside, just like dust. But they don’t land and grow just anywhere. Wherever mold spores find excess moisture, like from a leak or condensation, they will land and begin to root and grow, often within 48 hours.
Mold looks like clusters of dark spots or patches (see the image below). It can be green, black, grey, yellow, or sometimes brown. It looks and feels fuzzy, grainy, or slimy. Do not touch mold to find out its texture! Touching mold can stir its spores into the air, which can cause mold sickness and irritate your skin. Learn more about this here.
Why Does Mold Grow in Cupboards?
Mold in cupboards usually grows there for one of three common reasons. The first possibility is that there is water damage of some kind happening inside the wall behind the cupboards, that water damage has grown mold, and the mold has spread into the cupboards. Mold only grows where there is excess moisture, so water intrusion is always the most common culprit behind mold. Resolving this situation requires the help of a professional water damage restoration company to discover the source of the water intrusion and repair it.
The second possible cause of mold in cupboards is storing something liquid in the cupboard that has been leaking. Remember, mold only grows where there is excess moisture, so the moisture could be from something leaking in the cupboard. Resolving this issue is easy: first, remove all the products in the cupboard and inspect them to find out if one or more are leaking. Then, stop storing the leaking liquid product in the cupboard, and either fix or replace the leaking container. Clean up and thoroughly dry the wet area, and then you should be able to store things in that cupboard again.
The third likely cause of mold growth in your cupboards is high humidity and resulting condensation. Again, mold only grows in moisture, so there has to be a source of moisture if you’re finding mold growth. High humidity can sometimes be all the moisture mold needs! The solution is to keep the humidity in your home below 60%, either with good ventilation or the help of dehumidifiers.
Is Mold Dangerous?
While mold does cause mold sickness, which is really not good for you, it is usually not life-threateningly dangerous, except potentially to those with already-compromised health, such as the elderly, the chronically ill, and those with respiratory illnesses like asthma.
However, there are a couple of rare species of mold that are highly toxic to everyone, and those are dangerous. The most common of these toxic species is Stachybotrys Chartarum, a species of black mold. Prolonged exposure to this mold can cause brain fog, neurological damage, internal bleeding, vomiting, and more!
The problem is that it is nearly impossible to tell “regular” non-toxic mold apart from the toxic mold species. For this reason, a lot of people choose not to mess with mold at all and just hire professionals to take care of it safely. We believe this is your best option, for your own safety. However, if you choose to take the risk and try to clean the mold yourself, then please refer to our section on cleaning mold safely earlier in this article.
How to Prevent Mold in Cupboards in the Future
Since mold only grows where there is excess moisture, the only way to effectively prevent mold from growing in your cupboards is to identify the source of the moisture and eliminate it.
If it’s water damage behind or inside the cupboards, make sure it gets taken care of correctly by a professional water damage restoration company.
If high humidity and condensation caused the mold, take steps to keep the humidity of your home below 60%. That should prevent more mold growth in the future.
If the moisture came from a liquid product leak or spill in the cupboard, be sure to replace the leaking container, and check your liquid products more regularly for leaks and spills.
Best practice is to do all of these things! Keep your home clean, dry, and low-humidity in general, and mold will have a much harder time growing in it in the future.
More Resources
Want more information on mold or water damage? Peruse our full blog archive of useful information on all such subjects here, or jump straight to a relevant article through the links below!
The ultimate guide to dealing with mold in an apartment ➜
Can mold grow behind wallpaper? Learn the ugly truth and what to do about it here ➜
Top 5 spots people miss when cleaning that cause mold growth ➜
If you need a mold removal company in Western Washington state, Cleaner Guys is one of the best options around! We’re the only mold removal company around that boasts award-winning customer service, and a price-match guarantee! Call or message us today through the menu at the top of your screen.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
