How to Remove Mold from Wood Cabinets

Mold spores are actually really common, but they really thrive in certain situations and rooms in the house. The kitchen and bathroom are two of these rooms, and mold in kitchen cabinets can be a big challenge. It doesn’t have to be terminal to your wood cabinets though. Mold in cabinets can be cleaned and removed, so it isn’t necessarily time to give up and get new cabinets!

Types of Mold You Can Find in Your Cabinets

Some of the molds that can be found in cabinets can even originate on the food that is kept within, but much of it is standard household mold varieties. There are around 10-12 types of mold that your home is likely to fall foul of.

If you want to know how to remove mold from wood cabinets might help you to work out what kinds of mold are growing.

Categories of Household Mold

Allergenic: These are the types of mold that cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems.

Pathogenic: Pathogenic mold can be a big issue for people already suffering from any kind of illness.

Toxigenic: This is also sometimes called toxic mold, and needs to be taken seriously. These molds produce substances that are actually toxic to humans and can be extremely dangerous.

What Causes Mold in Kitchen Cabinets?

wood cabinets

The spores that cause mold are very common, but they need certain conditions if they are going to thrive. Commonly, mold in cabinets is because the conditions in the kitchen are perfect for mold to grow and expand. In the kitchen, this can be far worse than other rooms.

One of the main causes is moisture, and this can come in the form of moisture in the air. If you are cooking without using the extractor fan this can be a huge problem. There’s a lot of moisture that can get into the air and humidity that can cause mold.

Other forms of moisture can cause mold, for instance, if you have any leaking from pipes, even if it is tiny. Under-sink areas can be very commonly impacted by mold and cause a lot of trouble due to the moisture.

Other molds in kitchen cabinets can come from old food being left out, poor cleaning and more. If you put plates and dishes away without having them properly dried, the moisture in these can contribute to mold, which can use it to spread. If food is left for too long in the cabinets you can also experience mold that starts on these and then spreads to your cabinets. This is less common, but it is possible, so make sure you clean out the out of date food!

How to Remove Mold from Wood Cabinets?

So now that we understand more about how the mold originates, well focus on how to remove mold from wood cabinets. This means how to clean mold from wood or may even mean having to reface the cabinets or get them repaired rather than remove mold from wood cabinets. It depends on how bad the mold in the cabinets has become.

Remember that mold is not just something that doesn’t look very nice, it can be a genuine danger to you and those spending time in your kitchen.

wooden kitchen cabinets

While a bit of mold isn’t enough to justify calling in emergency services, it should definitely be high on your to-do list to clean the mold in kitchen cabinets, especially as food prep takes place in the kitchen.

Removing mold can be done with a deep clean if you reach it quickly enough. Bleach and specific mold removers can be used.remove mold from wood cabinets So how to get rid of mold using these products?

Fill up a bottle with a specific mold remover and cleaner. Spray all over where the mold is and use a brush rather than a cloth to clean the mold. You need to really scrub here, a little once-over isn’t going to be enough. A toothbrush might even be needed to get into the hard-to-reach areas.

Once you’ve done this, spray with a bleach solution all over to make sure fungus and bacteria, as well as mold in kitchen cabinets, is killed off. You need to prevent moisture though, so make sure you wipe this down afterward.

There are plenty of methods to remove mold, you don’t have to panic if there is just a small amount, but if things get out of hand it might be time to get some cabinet replacements during kitchen remodeling and make sure you avoid the same moisture issues getting to these new ones. It’s not worth taking any risks.

Owen is a customer experience manager at Majestic Cabinets. Having several years of experience in the home improvement field, Owen is keen on sharing his knowledge and secrets with others. Doesn't matter if you’re a homeowner with little to no knowledge in the field or an experienced contractor, you can always learn something new and interesting from his stories. Owen hopes that his articles will give you a bit of insight on home improvement.