Mold is pretty much everywhere. A hugely diverse category of fungi, molds reproduce by releasing clouds of microscopic spores—seed-like particles that can land and thrive almost anywhere with water, food, and oxygen.
Kitchens, unsurprisingly, are a reliable source for all of those needs. If you’ve ever noticed a bit of black lining the rim of your blender or the back corner of your fridge, you’re not alone. Thanks to damp conditions and a steady influx of food, kitchen mold is an inevitable part of life.
While these small amounts are not likely to have health impacts, some mold can induce allergic reactions or, in extreme cases, produce acute toxic effects. But proper kitchen hygiene will stave off the worst mold mishaps. Experts offer tips for finding, removing, and avoiding the fungus altogether.
Like other microbes, molds aren’t too picky about where they grow.
“Theoretically, there are really no surfaces that microbes [like mold] won’t grow on,” says the professor and chair of the chemical and environmental engineering department at Yale University. He says, from plastic to wood to steel, “if there’s some water there, they’ll find a way.”
Still, certain spots are particularly ripe for fungal growth. The professor points to parts of the kitchen that are regularly wet but not always used or cleaned—like coffee machines. “If you have a coffee maker and you run it but you don’t clean it out every day…mold will grow right on top of that,” he says. “Same thing about a blender seal…anything that’s just constantly wet.”
Where does mold lurk in our kitchens?
