Mold likes food just as much as we do, but we do not usually like to find it sharing the same space as the food that we stock our refrigerators with every week or two. While we all lead busy lives and are usually too occupied to remember to clean out our refrigerator, what we do not realize is that mold is also leading a busy life consuming and contaminating our food. It can contaminate almost anything that you put in your refrigerator and most of the time if it does contaminate something, you just have to throw it away. There are some things that you can do to prevent mold from growing in your refrigerator and there are a few items that you can save even if they do get a little moldy.
Keep track of what you have in your refrigerator and how long you have had that same item in there. Make a note of expiration dates. Things like sour cream, jellies, jams, marmalades, and anything else that has high moisture content can become moldy faster than you think and if they do, unfortunately, there is not much that you can do to save these items. Throwing them away and replacing them is about the only thing that you can do.
Those little plastic bags in the produce section of the grocery store sure can be convenient, but once you get your produce back home, you should remove it from these bags. Condensation gets trapped inside the bags and this will cause your fresh fruit and vegetables to rot faster than they normally would if you just put them in the crisper by themselves.
To clean out your refrigerator as regularly as you can remember to is also some good advice. Keeping bacteria and mold spores from building up in the fridge is one of the best ways to prevent mold from growing there. You can use bleach to kill the mold inside your refrigerator, since there is no surface inside that is porous. Bleach will not kill mold growing on porous surfaces. If you have to use bleach, do not mix it with any other chemicals you might have in your kitchen cabinet, especially ammonia. This is dangerous and can produce hazardous fumes.
If a dense item in your refrigerator develops spots of mold on it, such as hard salami or a block of cheese, take a clean knife and cut both around and underneath the moldy spot one inch. Do not touch the knife to other areas of the product and discard the chunk you cut out.
Showing posts with label checking for mold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label checking for mold. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Mold and Your Home Canned Food
Home canned food is a comfort to many of us and it rightly should be. It reminds us of times that have long passed when having a garden and raising your own food was just a part of life. In these days with the many grocery stores and markets that we have available to us, sometimes we forget that growing and canning your own food at home has its benefits. It might take a little effort, but in the end it is usually worth the trouble.
But, the drawback of home canning is the fact that sometimes when we can our own food, they become contaminated with mold due to a number of different factors that we may not realize right off hand. Most of these are completely avoidable and if you are a careful canner, you might not have ever had a moldy jar, but some of us are completely clueless as to how to avoid this contamination.
Whatever you are canning, be it fruits or vegetables, you need to make sure that they are washed thoroughly before you start to get them ready for processing. Starting with fresh and clean ingredients is the first step to un-contaminated food. Cut off any bad spots from these items and throw these pieces away.
Sterilize the equipment that you plan on using in boiling water. Fill the jars you are going to use with hot (not boiling water) and put them in the pot you are going to use. Fill the pot with hot water, as well, and let the water come to a slow boil on the stove. Allow it to boil for about 10 minutes or so. Pour the water from the jars back into the pot, since this water is already sterilized.
After you are done preparing your food and getting it ready to put in the jars, transfer the food to the jars you have sterilized. Do not pack the food too tightly. Allow sufficient room between the food and the top of the jar. Packing food too tightly can result in the food in the center not getting hot enough to kill bacteria and mold spores. Place the lids and the screw bands on them tightly and begin processing them in the pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil again.
Store in a place away from heat (and sunlight) and allow them to cool naturally.
But, the drawback of home canning is the fact that sometimes when we can our own food, they become contaminated with mold due to a number of different factors that we may not realize right off hand. Most of these are completely avoidable and if you are a careful canner, you might not have ever had a moldy jar, but some of us are completely clueless as to how to avoid this contamination.
Whatever you are canning, be it fruits or vegetables, you need to make sure that they are washed thoroughly before you start to get them ready for processing. Starting with fresh and clean ingredients is the first step to un-contaminated food. Cut off any bad spots from these items and throw these pieces away.
Sterilize the equipment that you plan on using in boiling water. Fill the jars you are going to use with hot (not boiling water) and put them in the pot you are going to use. Fill the pot with hot water, as well, and let the water come to a slow boil on the stove. Allow it to boil for about 10 minutes or so. Pour the water from the jars back into the pot, since this water is already sterilized.
After you are done preparing your food and getting it ready to put in the jars, transfer the food to the jars you have sterilized. Do not pack the food too tightly. Allow sufficient room between the food and the top of the jar. Packing food too tightly can result in the food in the center not getting hot enough to kill bacteria and mold spores. Place the lids and the screw bands on them tightly and begin processing them in the pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil again.
Store in a place away from heat (and sunlight) and allow them to cool naturally.
How To Know When To Check For Mold In Your Home Or Business
With all the new concern about mold growing in our homes in our businesses, you may be wondering just what you can do to determine whether mold exists on your property or not. There are a few different ways to know if mold exists on your property and one of the best ones is to purchase a mold testing kit that you can perform by yourself, but how do you know if you need to test for it?
Do you throw wet clothing and towels on the floor and leave them there? Or even worse, throw dry clothing on top of them and forget the wet clothes are underneath? If this is a habit for you or the rest of your family, especially if the floor you are putting these on is carpeted, then you are inviting mold to start growing in your house. Wash wet clothing as soon as possible or put them in a sink or other container by themselves and never put dry clothing on top of wet.
Has your home suffered water damage due to floods or heavy rain? Mold likes to grow on items that have been wet and forgotten about or just never repaired. It will grow anywhere that there is moisture or high amounts of humidity. Stachybotrys mold in particular likes to grow where there is standing water, such as in a leaky area of your basement. Try to keep the humidity level in your house down and if you see condensation on your windows or on exposed pipes, you are not succeeding in this. Try a de-humidifier.
Any part of your home that has been water damaged, especially floors and walls, could be hiding a mold infestation. To detect mold that you cannot see or smell, purchase a mold testing kit and follow the directions for it exactly as they appear or the test will be useless.
Mold will also grow in closets that have too many clothes packed in them. Air simply cannot circulate in a closet packed too tight and the clothing provides all the food that the mold needs to survive. A solution to this problem is to just give or throw away clothing that you do not need and if there is not much clothing that you do not use, find another way to store it.
Leaking water pipes or even a waterline for the icemaker on your fridge can be hidden causes for this terrible menace. Check the basics and you can help to eliminate the problem before it starts.
Do you throw wet clothing and towels on the floor and leave them there? Or even worse, throw dry clothing on top of them and forget the wet clothes are underneath? If this is a habit for you or the rest of your family, especially if the floor you are putting these on is carpeted, then you are inviting mold to start growing in your house. Wash wet clothing as soon as possible or put them in a sink or other container by themselves and never put dry clothing on top of wet.
Has your home suffered water damage due to floods or heavy rain? Mold likes to grow on items that have been wet and forgotten about or just never repaired. It will grow anywhere that there is moisture or high amounts of humidity. Stachybotrys mold in particular likes to grow where there is standing water, such as in a leaky area of your basement. Try to keep the humidity level in your house down and if you see condensation on your windows or on exposed pipes, you are not succeeding in this. Try a de-humidifier.
Any part of your home that has been water damaged, especially floors and walls, could be hiding a mold infestation. To detect mold that you cannot see or smell, purchase a mold testing kit and follow the directions for it exactly as they appear or the test will be useless.
Mold will also grow in closets that have too many clothes packed in them. Air simply cannot circulate in a closet packed too tight and the clothing provides all the food that the mold needs to survive. A solution to this problem is to just give or throw away clothing that you do not need and if there is not much clothing that you do not use, find another way to store it.
Leaking water pipes or even a waterline for the icemaker on your fridge can be hidden causes for this terrible menace. Check the basics and you can help to eliminate the problem before it starts.
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