Water damaged & moldy Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets

A small moldy patch on a particle board cabinet base (below-left, less than 1 sq.ft.) is unlikely to be a significant health hazard in a building, though it could bother someone with sensitive mold allergies or who is asthmatic. There may be more hidden mold below the cabinet base. At below right we not in the same cabinet that the mice don’t seem disturbed by water, leaks, and mold – though their droppings make the cabinet unsanitary for food storage.

Below we illustrate another minor mold contamination case, due to water that leaked from a nearby shower to beneath the vanity base. The vanity was replaced and the new unit first coated with a clear sealant on its hidden surfaces, then caulked at the floor and walls to keep water out of its hidden spaces.

But mold growth behind wall or base cabinets can be quite extensive, and totally hidden if a home has been flooded for any reason,

It would have been a mistake to leave these cabinets mounted to the wall of the home where they were found, even though mold was not visible on the room side of exposed wall surfaces. And further investigation of the wall cavity behind where these cabinets had been mounted confirmed that the cavity side of the wall needed to be cleaned as well.

Leaks into kitchen or bath cabinets can occur in surprising places, as water can travel inside a building wall or along a floor where it passes into hidden spaces such as the interstitial space between a cabinet back and the building wall, or the cabinet base and the floor. A result can be hidden mold contamination.

Expect to find mold on hidden wall or floor cabinets on hidden surfaces if a building has been flooded or subject to extensive leakage or wetting due to extinguishment of a fire.

The most common location of water damage to cabinets is of course at sinks or at the sides and bottoms of base cabinets adjacent to a leaky dishwasher (our two photographs above).

Generally these issues combined may indicate a water damage problem. Rest easier call HDG to get an evaluation at 813-770-5415.

Gabriel Antonio Bonserio Principal Public Adjuster HDG Public Adjusters & Insurance Loss lic.137183

“THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR BUSINESS. IF YOU HAVE HAD A CLAIM FOR AN INSURED PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE AND YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PAYMENT BY YOUR INSURER, YOU MAY DISREGARD THIS ADVERTISEMENT.”

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.