MOLD in my MES40 whats the best way to remove it.

[mike johnson]

I use my smoker weekly. I just went out to warm it up for a batch of jerky and I found mold

. What is the best way to remove it? Im going to scrape it off but I live where it rains all winter long. Id hate to have to completly scrub and resaeson it but I will do whatever I need to. PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[sigmo]

That's a pain.

If there's mold visible, there may be some between the walls, in the insulation. I hope not.

If it's only on the inner surface, I'd totally clean it down to the steel everywhere, then wash it down with hydrogen peroxide. Then I'd re-season it.

The mold requires three things.

Food, moisture, and a reasonable temperature. I have to think the seasoning provides the food. So unless you can keep it dry, or murder it with high temps routinely, it'll come back.


Phoned in.

 

[daveomak]

Mike, cook it at max temp for a few hours.... that should kill it off even in the walls....   Leave the door open if you can when not using...  Like Sigmo said, wash it all down with peroxide to sterillize...  I would go easy on bleach, some SS doesn't like bleach....  And re season....

If 250 will take care of all the bad stuff when canning, it should do the same in the smoker....   Dave

 

[mike johnson]

Thanks, I guess I have my work cut out for me this weekend. It looked like it had just begun. I scraped the area with the mold off with a spatchela, it came off easy enough.I will pull everything  out and apart tommorow. My jerky already sat to long so its in the smoker now.Dave Im sure you know that living in washington you cant get away from the moisture, I guess its time to talk the wife into letting me keep it indoors for now on LOL. She is just going to love this

.

 

[daveomak]

Thanks, I guess I have my work cut out for me this weekend. It looked like it had just begun. I scraped the area with the mold off with a spatchela, it came off easy enough.I will pull everything  out and apart tommorow. My jerky already sat to long so its in the smoker now.Dave Im sure you know that living in washington you cant get away from the moisture, I guess its time to talk the wife into letting me keep it indoors for now on LOL. She is just going to love this

.

Oh yes you can.... that is why I moved to the east side...  Now I get up knowing it probably ain't gonna rain.... Sorry, that is too cruel.... 

 

[mike johnson]

Cruel but true.. I really liked the mod that guy made where he keeps his smoker in the house and vented it outside. I just might have to look into doing that in my garage. That would solve the moisture issue and make it easyer than standing in the rain or snow.

 

[rabbithutch]

For you folks who live in areas of frequent rains and high humidity, could you not just keep a bare light bulb (say about 60W) hanging in center? Wouldn't this serve to generate enough heat to keep moisture and mold down? You could easily rig a timer to control how often the bulb lights up, too.

Just throwing it out there for consideration.

 

[jarjarchef]

If you use bleach to sanitize the smoker use maye a cap full to a gallon. You do not want to go too far over 50 parts per million. You can run a chance of chemical contamination..... If you smell the bleach you are way to strong.

The one we have at work we wipe down the inside walls, but the racks, water pan and ash pan all get washed. When we put it back together we runn it at 250 for about an hour to dry it out. We do not use or keep our outside so that helps too.

Will she let you keep it in a garage or shed if you have one?

 

[mike johnson]

Yup the garage is the plan.I might install it there perminantly

 

[sigmo]

Hydrogen peroxide is great because it's actually more effective than bleach and leaves no stinky residue.

And as was said, bleach will readily attack stainless steel. So be careful if you do use bleach.

Phoned in.

 

[swamp puppy]

Mike,

I run into this all the time with my MES and my regular grill.  Honestly, I don't make too much of a big deal out of it.  I wipe it out with a green scouring pad and some soapy water, then rinse the soap out with some fresh water and a sponge a few times.  Then I fire it up and let it run at 225 for an hour or so and call it good.  Haven't had any issues that way.

I live in NW Oregon, so I know your pain.  Especially this time of year.

 

[frznsmoke]

[h2]Seasoned smokers and grills are one thing. But we are cooking our food in these appliances. We concern ourselves with other food born diseases such as salmonella. We concern ourselves about cleaning our counter tops, knives and of course our hands. Mold grows in damp areas, while we smoke our food we are cooking the moisture out of the food, and then we spritz or mop more moisture onto our meat in the cooker. Moisture will remain inside your smoker. I agree to leave the door open to allow it to dry better.[/h2][h2]We wouldn't take a brisket with mold on it and cook it, why start with mold in your smoker.      [/h2][h2] [/h2][h2]Mold Removal with Vinegar[/h2]
Vinegar is a mild acid which can kill 82% of mold species. However it also has the advantages of being natural and safe. Vinegar is non-toxic and doesn't give off dangerous fumes like bleach does.
[h2]How to Kill Mold with Vinegar[/h2]

• To kill mold with vinegar, use white distilled vinegar which you can buy cheaply from the supermarket.
• Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle without watering it down.
• Spray the vinegar onto the moldy surface and leave it to sit for an hour.
• Wipe clean the area with water and allow the surface to dry. Any smell from the vinegar should clear within a few hours.

 

[frznsmoke]

If you use bleach to sanitize the smoker use maye a cap full to a gallon. You do not want to go too far over 50 parts per million. You can run a chance of chemical contamination..... If you smell the bleach you are way to strong.
The one we have at work we wipe down the inside walls, but the racks, water pan and ash pan all get washed. When we put it back together we runn it at 250 for about an hour to dry it out. We do not use or keep our outside so that helps too.
Will she let you keep it in a garage or shed if you have one?

FYI. 

You need at least a 3 % bleach solution to effectively kill Bactria or mold. 3 % would be 30 000 ppm.

 

[smoke happens]

Oh yes you can.... that is why I moved to the east side...  Now I get up knowing it probably ain't gonna rain.... Sorry, that is too cruel.... 

Ohhh the east side........ for now just vacation 5 or 6 times a year with the RV, but... Retirement = Eastern WA !!!

Thanks for the jab back at the left side though......

 

[daveomak]

If you use bleach to sanitize the smoker use maye a cap full to a gallon. You do not want to go too far over 50 parts per million. You can run a chance of chemical contamination..... If you smell the bleach you are way to strong.
The one we have at work we wipe down the inside walls, but the racks, water pan and ash pan all get washed. When we put it back together we runn it at 250 for about an hour to dry it out. We do not use or keep our outside so that helps too.
Will she let you keep it in a garage or shed if you have one?

FYI. 

You need at least a 3 % bleach solution to effectively kill Bactria or mold. 3 % would be 30 000 ppm.

I highly recommend you DO NOT USE  that concentration of bleach for any cleaning purpose....  House hold bleach is approx 6% sodium hypochlorite.. diluted 1:1 would be 3%....  Respiratory problems could occur if you have any health conditions...  If accidentally mixed with some unknown compound, Phosgene Gas could be made....  WW I was a popular arena to find that type of gas.... If it splashed in your eyes, disaster.... Soap and water is still a good choice.... 

 

[jarjarchef]

FYI. 

You need at least a 3 % bleach solution to effectively kill Bactria or mold. 3 % would be 30 000 ppm.

Please read these before you use that concentration of bleach. You will run a very high chance of chemical contamination.

http://www.allqa.com/ChlorineSanitizing.htm

http://www.knoxcountyhealth.org/pdf/HACCP concentrations.pdf

http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26437.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_2190554_make-sanitizer-solution-bleachmake-sanitizer-solution-bleach.html

 

[diggingdogfarm]

:icon_eek:

I definitely wouldn't use bleach!!!!!!!

Use some Borax, it'll kill mold and it's not harsh like bleach.
Rinse well after scrubbing.


~Martin

 

[sigmo]

While I recommend hydrogen peroxide because it is so effective against molds, and is far more friendly to the steel, and doesn't stink, I also don't see much problem with using a prudent concentration of bleach.

It's commonly used for sanitizing dishes and food prep areas. The chlorine is highly reactive and offgasses rapidly. Heat accelerates this, of course. And finally, your food wouldn't touch the walls of the smoker in any case.

Sanitize the smoker in a reasonable way, then re-season it as if it was new. I defy anyone to then measure detectable chlorine levels after that.

I think we're getting carried away. We commonly put some bleach into our laundry or dishwasher. Have you ever heard of that causing problems? I sure have not.

Phoned in.