The thought of mold growing in the refrigerator is gross.
It’s were you store food so it can make anyone in the household vulnerable to mold sickness. The good news is it can be dealt with.
Here’s How To Deal With Mold in Refrigerator
Step 1: Take out all of the food in your refrigerator and freezer, wiping down the shelves with a mild detergent if you like. If the mold is on hard surfaces like wood or tile, scrub it off using a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm water.
For softer surfaces such as carpeting, leather shoes or fabric curtains, use hydrogen peroxide instead.
Rinse thoroughly and allow everything to dry completely before putting anything back in your refrigerator/freezer.
Step 2: Check your filters (for hood exhaust fans). Behind them can grow lots of dust and mold that you should clean once every two weeks at least; also check the housings for vents to ensure they’re clear of blockages.
Step 3: Check the seals on the refrigerator and freezer doors for cracks and clean those with a soft cloth, rubbing lightly to avoid damaging them further; they will trap any odors inside.
Refrigerator/freezer doors have gaskets or foam that seal out air from your refrigerator or freezer compartment which can become moldy.
Do not use harsh products like bleach; instead you should spray some Windex® as it is milder than other chemicals in order to clean it up.
After spraying let sit about 10 minutes so that the chemical can soften the mold up if you have hard water spots around your sink area, just spray some vinegar on it then rinse off with warm water after letting it soak for 5 minutes.. Then using a sponge clean it off.
You can also use designer brands if you like or vinegar and wipe down surfaces on the refrigerator/freezer.
Step 4: Take out any shelves that have mold, scrub the shelf area of molded areas and clean with a mild detergent to remove all traces of moldy smell . If removing shelves is not an option, clean them thoroughly with bleach and let them dry in the sun for several hours before returning them to your refrigerator or freezer.
Remember to wear gloves when cleaning your fridge; otherwise wash hands thoroughly when finished. Also do not forget to check every pin hole on the back of fridge and freezer since there might be some molds inside but you barely see it..
Step 5: Check the defrost drain and hose, if there is water or ice blocking it, you should clean that out to avoid moisture build up inside your refrigerator/freezer which could potentially lead to more mold growing.
Basically a fridge can be moldy for many reasons: poor ventilation, old or rusty seals, filter blockages, this all adds up.
Can mold in fridge make you sick?
You can certainly get sick from eating food that’s been contaminated by molds, especially if you have allergies to certain types of mold.
Some people react negatively to the toxins produced by mold as well and may develop health problems like sinus infections.
Mold on non-food surfaces in your refrigerator and freezer usually isn’t a problem unless it’s left there for long periods of time or becomes airborne (because moisture causes the mold spores to grow into colonies).
If you decide not to clean up your moldy fridge, don’t be alarmed when the smell sticks around even after you’ve cleaned out all of the moldy products.
That odor should disappear once it has aired out for a while, but if it doesn’t go away, you may have to get rid of whatever items are causing the nasty smell and start over.
If you have persistent mold problems, contact an expert to see if they can help find the source of your problem.
Make sure that you do not stack anything on top of air vents or on the fridge door and leave some space from the wall so that when you clean it will be easier for you to clean up all the dirt inside because as time goes by molds will grow inside your refrigerator if it gets wet from time-to-time.
Do You Have Mold in Your Freezer?
If this is the case, you should clean your fridge and freezer even if it is new because left over time can become worse.
1)First thing to do is put all of the food items that are already thawed in another container so they won’t get mixed with other stuff when you are cleaning the rest of it up; also remember to turn off your refrigerator/freezer while cleaning up
2)After scrubbing everything down, making sure no traces of moldy smells as well move heavy objects out of the way so that you have better access to the back of your refrigerator and freezer.
If you have a lot of molds in there make sure that you use gloves when cleaning up so that mold spores won’t be spread easily from person-to-person contact .
3)Next step is by using plastic knife or spatula to remove/clean any hard to reach areas inside the refrigerator/freezer, also check for rubber gasket around doors and replace if needed as well check defrost drain ice cubes are not clogged, clean out any dirt or grime since they may contribute towards food spoilage.
4)Wipe down surfaces with vinegar or bleach/water mixture (1:10 ratio), rinse off thoroughly then let it dry in the sun for several hours. This way the mold won’t grow inside it again.
5)After you are done cleaning up your refrigerator/freezer you should wipe down all the shelves and drawers with vinegar and water mixture (1:10 ratio), rinse off thoroughly then let it dry in the sun for several hours before putting it back together.
Also remember to check periodically that everything is OK like food storage conditions. Don’t keep stuff out too long so that bacteria develops.
6)All of these moldy products inside your fridge should be thrown away or wrapped in newspaper (if they are clean enough to be used again) and placed outside in a trash bag so as not to spread molds to other parts of the house.