Cleaning your cool room and preventing mould

At Clements, we love working in commercial refrigeration. We care about our clients and want them to get the most out of their cool rooms. We understand that effective refrigeration is key to success in their business operations, and therefore want to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Whether you are a restaurant, café, corner store or any business involving food, you’ll likely have a cool room. However, many people don’t understand the importance of having these walk-in fridge/freezers cleaned as they believe harmful fungus, bacteria and viruses can’t survive in cooler temperatures. This is a myth. The reality is, mould can still grow in the cool room, on the ceiling, the walls or anywhere.

How does this happen?

Mould grows due to moisture in the air. In your cool room, this most likely happens when the doors open and warmer air enters the room, resulting in condensation. A cracked or damaged door sealing can also cause condensation by allowing humidity in the room.

If you haven’t experienced issues with mould yet, that’s great news. And here are some tips for preventing its growth:

  • Regularly inspect for signs of damage to the door seals and have any leaks or cracks repaired by professionals immediately.

  • No paper and no wood. Paper, cardboard and wood all absorb moisture. Refrain from using wooden shelving and cardboard crates to store food. Once they become damp, they are candidates for mould growth.

  • Check the ventilation. Ensure your cool room is properly ventilated as this allows the muggy air to escape while the cold air continues to circulate.

  • Keep it clean and organised. Food that has expired should be removed promptly and the cool room should be kept clean and tidy at all times.

Once mould spores start to grow and develop, it can be extremely difficult to stop them from spreading, they can even become airborne. That’s why prevention is better than cure. However, if you’ve already got some issues with mould growth, here are some tips for effective, thorough removal:

  • Carefully inspect all contents in the cool room and remove all items that have mould on them.

  • Deep clean the cool room by methodically wiping down all the walls, the shelving and the ceiling. Appropriate cleaning chemicals should be used in this process, as well as an abrasive pad to better eradicate all traces of trouble.

Mould is a major health hazard and should be taken seriously. If you have growth occurring in your cool room, your employees and customers are at risk. As mentioned earlier, it’s much easier to prevent mould than it is to go through the cleansing and purging process. If you need assistance with this, we highly recommend hiring professional help to clean your cool room. Specialists will be able to properly clean and replace defective parts like seals around the door all at the same time. They can also competently clean internal components, like the compressor, which a business owner would likely be unable to do themselves.

Another preventative measure is to keep your cool room running at optimum efficiency and this can be accomplished through regular maintenance and servicing.

At Clements, we are your local refrigeration experts and have been keeping cool rooms running smoothly and proficiently for over 30 years. If you’d like to know more about commercial refrigeration, mould prevention, or maintenance and servicing, please give our friendly team a call on 4932 3833.

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