Need help with mold in my wine fridge!

[Nebbiolo020]

I noticed some mold on bottles in one of my wine fridges last week and I’m not sure what kind of mold it is but I cleaned out the fridge and cleaned and sanitized the bottles and the mold has come back again and I don’t know what to do about it I am seeking advice for how to hopefully eradicate it before it causes damage to the wine. Mold is greyish white and circular with spider web like lines between little circular mold patches if that tells anyone anything useful.

 

[winemaker81]

I had a problem with mold growing on the outside of the corks, apparently due to humidity in my cellar. Switching to Nomacorcs solved the problem.

It's possible the humidity in your wine fridge is related to the problem. However, I'd wipe everything in the fridge with a anti-fungal cleaning. My first choice would be a bleach solution, but that is contraindicated in a winery. Oxyclean may do it. Then wipe dry, and I'd spritz with K-meta solution.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I had a problem with mold growing on the outside of the corks, apparently due to humidity in my cellar. Switching to Nomacorcs solved the problem.

It's possible the humidity in your wine fridge is related to the problem. However, I'd wipe everything in the fridge with a anti-fungal cleaning. My first choice would be a bleach solution, but that is contraindicated in a winery. Oxyclean may do it. Then wipe dry, and I'd spritz with K-meta solution.

I’ll try that, I only saw some mold on 2-3 corks and isolated those bottles and sprayed the corks with Star San I’m waiting to see if the mold grows back before I risk adding them back after I clean the fridge again.

I use Diam Corks.

I did check the humidity in my fridge and it is in the range it’s supposed to be I added a couple bottles from a winery to the fridge a couple weeks ago and I’m wondering if the spores/mold was on those bottles and that’s how it got into the fridge as I had no issues untill then.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Mold requires humidity or free water to live. The number one way to prevent mold is reduce humidity. As winemaker notes natural cork will breathe, also look at the gasket on the door.

 

[Timorthy]

I noticed some mold on bottles in one of my wine fridges last week and I’m not sure what kind of mold it is but I cleaned out the fridge and cleaned and sanitized the bottles and the mold has come back again and I don’t know what to do about it I am seeking advice for how to hopefully eradicate it before it causes damage to the wine. Mold is greyish white and circular with spider web like lines between little circular mold patches if that tells anyone anything useful.

Mold is a type of fungi and can be found almost everywhere. Mold develops in the places that are humid and dark. One of the most affected places is the one where your food is kept. In order to get rid of the mold you need to dry the affected area for a longer period of time. Washing, cleaning and sanitizing the bottles would have helped you but it is not an efficient way to get rid of the mold. You should keep the refrigerator dry and clean without mold to prevent it from coming back.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Mold is a type of fungi and can be found almost everywhere. Mold develops in the places that are humid and dark. One of the most affected places is the one where your food is kept. In order to get rid of the mold you need to dry the affected area for a longer period of time. Washing, cleaning and sanitizing the bottles would have helped you but it is not an efficient way to get rid of the mold. You should keep the refrigerator dry and clean without mold to prevent it from coming back.

I just let the mold grow it’s not really possible to remove it because I can’t turn off the fridge and take out the bottles as it will contaminate all my other fridges and I have far too many bottles for it to be worth my time.

I tried what you suggested a long time ago and it did nothing alongside cleaning the space with sanitizers, washing it down with warm unscented soap and water and several other methods. I gave up and just accepted it’s permanent now.

And I clean any bottles I get from wineries as a bottle infected the fridge with mold.

 

[Rice_Guy]

My attitude on mold changed this summer after seeing European cellars. The goal in traditional wine cellars on the continent is to have black mold. The logic would be that high humidity where the mold thrives also is better for the shelf life of the wine.
The US mentality of hospital clean is not the only way.

 

[BigDaveK]

My concern would be it spreading. There are people in my life whose asthma would kick in instantly. I've used an assortment of natural remedies over the years with varying degrees of success. Vinegar (I know...), lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, tee tree oil to name a few.

 

[Rice_Guy]

going back to the original June post mold indicates humidity > humidity indicates high moisture air is leaking into the fridge > the long term fix is replacing seals on doors.

for commercial size equipment running a dehumidifier inside would remove humidity.
for under counter a desiccant as Drierite would work. Note Drierite would need to be recharged by heating in an oven when the color change happens.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

The se

going back to the original June post mold indicates humidity > humidity indicates high moisture air is leaking into the fridge > the long term fix is replacing seals on doors.

for commercial size equipment running a dehumidifier inside would remove humidity.
for under counter a desiccant as Drierite would work. Note Drierite would need to be recharged by heating in an oven when the color change happens.

The fridge is sealed perfectly it’s damn near brand new only 5-6 months old.

It was like 2 weeks old when the mold showed up.

 

[RayLee]

Hi there, sorry to hear about the mold issue in your wine fridge. Mold can be a tricky problem to deal with, but there are a few things you can try.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Hi there, sorry to hear about the mold issue in your wine fridge. Mold can be a tricky problem to deal with, but there are a few things you can try.

Can you name one of them?

 

[Rice_Guy]

Can you name one of them? (for control of mold)

Drierite - Indicating Drierite

secure.drierite.com

The first tool that I would look to is DRIERITE with an indicator chemical. It is easy to use as a flat layer in a sealed vessel as a drying box or bell jar. It is a non dusty granular. It visually shows when it has picked up humidity and needs to be recharged. It can be heated to force moisture off and then reused. A negative is that if the wine has natural corks and is bleeding H2O the rate of moisture loss will increase. The inside should be washed to remove organic matter and then could be “killed” as by spraying grain alcohol on the dry surfaces. , , , SILICA gel as the small packets of desiccant in products made in China would also work.

Mold is an occasional industrial problem. Our first line of defense in a walk in cooler is to lower the humidity as cleaning the condensate lines off the chill unit. This would be combined with washing down the walls/ floor/ ceiling and spraying with a general purpose anti-microbial. (For non-food applications a horticultural fungicide might be used.) , , , , Choices are limited if dealing with a “cheese ripening cave” since we need controlled humidity.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Thank you, @Rice_Guy

 

[RayLee]

Hi there, sorry to hear about the mold issue in your wine fridge. Mold can be a tricky problem to deal with, but there are a few things you can try.

First, make sure to keep the temperature and humidity levels in your fridge stable, as fluctuations can contribute to mold growth.
If the problem persists, it might be worth checking out Wine Fridge Hub. They have a great section of reviews on the best wine fridges out there, so you might find a new model that better suits your needs.

 

[wood1954]

i'ved used a product for a couple years now called Mold Control. i use it my interior glass on windows which will have condensate in really cold weather which leads to mold. This prevents the mold really well. it's in a spray bottle from Menards.