Thanksgiving Tips: Preventing Kitchen Mold

Keep A Mold Free Kitchen This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for family, good food, and fun times. With all this going on, it is imperative you keep your home in the best possible condition. Your kitchen is especially susceptible to mold damage during Thanksgiving. The kitchen is a high traffic area on Thanksgiving day, and can easily become hot and stuffy. This makes your kitchen a breeding ground for potential mold development. Here are some tips to keep your kitchen mold free for the holiday. 

There are plenty of steps you can take before, during, and after Thanksgiving festivities to prevent mold development. Luckily, these steps are so easy that they will not add any extra stress onto your already busy schedule. We understand that it can be an extremely busy day for those who are hosting. Just a few simple adjustments can make all the difference in protecting your kitchen this Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Mold Prevention

During Thanksgiving, there are just some issues that are unavoidable. Heat and moisture in the kitchen being the main issue. However, there is a multitude of steps you can take to prevent these issues from causing damage. For example, cooking gives off a lot of heat and moisture; the two components mold needs to thrive. That is a given. You will also more than likely have both your oven and stove running at the same time. The sheer volume of heat and moisture traveling throughout your kitchen on Thanksgiving can be enough for mold to begin developing. Believe it or not, mold can begin developing within as quickly as 24 to 48 hours in the right conditions.

Ensuring efficient air circulation and ventilation in your kitchen is the number one thing you can do to prevent mold development this Thanksgiving. Your kitchen will undoubtedly become very crowded, stuffy, and hot. Thus is the nature of Thanksgiving dinner. 

Make Sure Kitchen Vents Are In Proper Working Order

Before your guests even arrive, you ensure that any and all vents in your kitchen are in good working order. These vents give heat and moisture a pathway out of your kitchen. It is important that this heat and moisture do not become stagnant within your kitchen, lest they cause mold development. 

Opening A Window

Opening a window may seem like common sense. However, when the pressure of cooking and getting things ready on time hits, you may simply forget. The best thing you can do is to open a window before you even start cooking, to ensure that you won’t forget. You can then start cooking without worrying that it’s getting too stuffy and humid. This way, it will help keep the kitchen cool and comfortable when guests start piling in. 

Keep Kitchen Fans Running

Many kitchens come equipped with not only ventilation, but also fans to keep the air circulating regularly. When heat and moisture become stagnant within the air, the moisture can easily stick around and cause mold. As previously discussed, mold can develop within 24 to 48 hours in the right environment. Fans will help the air continue to circulate. This circulation doesn’t give heat and moisture a chance to settle and seep into any susceptible building materials within the kitchen. Keep the fans running during cooking, as well as after you’ve finished. Ensure that any excess moisture is circulated out of the area. This will make certain that your kitchen is kept extra safe from any potential moisture damage. 

Let The Festivities Begin

The great thing about these tips is that their use is not limited to just Thanksgiving. These tips can be used at any time, especially when hosting any type of dinner party. Now that you are aware of how to prevent issues that can be caused, you should be all set. Hosting Thanksgiving can certainly be overwhelming. However, you still need to make sure you’re taking the steps to prevent kitchen mold. Ensure that your kitchen as well as the rest of your home are protected from potential damage. While Thanksgiving is only one day, the potential mold damage it may cause can last a lot longer. That is if the proper precautions are not taken. Of course accidents happen, such as spills or leaks. If you notice any signs of moisture buildup or mold growth in your kitchen, contact a professional. A mold remediation company in your area will be able to assess the damage. They can also help develop a plan for mold removal in that area. Mold doesn’t care what day it is, so do your best to prevent it this Thanksgiving.