Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us fast! This year more than ever, we need to be grateful for all that we have. With less than a week left, it is important to keep your home, especially your kitchen, in tip top shape. During Thanksgiving, the kitchen is an especially high traffic area. There will be a lot of cooking going on, and the kitchen, a generally small area, can easily become warm and stuffy. This can potentially end up making your kitchen a breeding ground for mold development. There are plenty of steps you can take to avoid kitchen mold before, during, and after Thanksgiving. The good news is that these steps are so simple, you will hardly have to think about it. We know that this is a very busy day for many people. A few quick, easy adjustments into your routine can make a huge difference when it comes to avoiding kitchen mold this Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Tips To Avoid Kitchen Mold
There are just some things that can’t be prevented during Thanksgiving. The main two things that can cause potential for damage are heat and moisture, and it’s essentially impossible to avoid those while cooking. These two components are exactly what mold needs to begin developing. Without proper measures being taken, mold can begin to develop in as little as 24 to 48 hours. However, there are quite a few preventative measures you can take to ensure that heat and moisture do not become trapped in your kitchen causing fungal growth. The use of sufficient ventilation and air circulation will need to be employed so that you can best avoid kitchen mold
Open A Window: This may seem like a no-brainer. However, you may simply forget to do so under the pressure of cooking and having things ready for your guests. Before you even start cooking, make sure you crack a window or two to keep the air circulating around and ensure that heat and moisture don’t become stagnant. This will also help to keep you from overheating when guests begin to arrive!- Proper Ventilation & Kitchen Fans: This should be your first step before you even start cooking. Making sure that all ventilation & fans in the kitchen are running smoothly so that they can do their job. Proper ventilation is a must to avoid kitchen mold during Thanksgiving. It keeps heat and moisture from becoming stagnant within your kitchen. As previously mentioned, mold can develop in as little as 24 to 48 hours, so it is important that heat and moisture are not given the opportunity to settle into any porous building materials. Keep fans and vents running even after you have finished cooking and cleaning to ensure you are minimizing as much moisture and heat as possible.
- Cleanup: Following your Thanksgiving festivities, you will inevitably have to clean up the mess. During cleanup, ensure that you are employing the use of all the previous tips, including ventilation & fans, as well as open windows. Your dishwasher can put out a lot of steam, and that steam will need somewhere to go. As an additional preventative to avoid kitchen mold, you can even take a few extra minutes to wipe down any condensation that came about from cooking or cleaning.
These tips are not exclusive to Thanksgiving, they are easily incorporated into your regular maintenance routine to help you avoid kitchen mold year round. It can be intimidating to host Thanksgiving, but you still need to ensure that you are taking all the necessary steps to avoid mold so that you don’t end up with a bigger issue on your hands. Should you notice any signs of mold or moisture damage in your kitchen, don’t hesitate to contact a professional mold inspection and remediation company in your area to assess the damage. Not only will they conduct a thorough assessment of the area, they will also develop a detailed scope of work outlining everything that needs to be done to remediate. Mold doesn’t take a holiday vacation, so do your best to avoid kitchen mold on Thanksgiving and every day.
