Cleaning mold and mildew out of WSM

[russell swift]

Are there any sure fire ways to remove mold and mildew from the smoker? In the past I've used greased lightening, but there is a significant odor along the walls of the WSM. Although covered, my WSM sits outside, and moisture collects inside of it with all of the rain we've had lately. Would scrubbing wtih a mixture of 1TBSP bleach / 5 gallons of water do the job? Is there a better commercial-grade alternative that is readily available at a hardware store?

 

[Gary Bramley]

Do you have a torch? Works good.

Gary

 

[JimH TX]

I had that problem last year. I put 2 chimneys worth of fully lit charcoal into the bottom, assembled without the lid, added some wood chunks and when they were lit I put on the lid with all vents fully open. It got up above 500 for over an hour. Next day I used a copper scrubbing pad to remove the carbon deposits, reseasoned the grates and set it up to smoke at 250 for as long as it would burn with some wood chunks. Mold and smell completely eliminated.

 

[Matt_G]

Bleach in water is not a grease-cutter. 1 tablespoon in 5 gallons is awfully darn weak. (about the same as Chicago tap water?)
A bleach disinfecting solution is more like 1/4 cup per gallon.

Orange-oil degreasers like they sell at hardware stores are good, but a little pricy.
An ammonia solution is a really cheap option that is an effective degreaser and disinfectant (but watch out for the fumes). Add a touch of dish soap and you've got a sudsy cleaner.
sudsy ammonia cleaner recipe

Rinse well, and let the smoker heat up assembled well before adding your meat.

 

[Gary Michael]

Mold and Mildew...your not smoking enough! Get that thing loaded w/ some butts and brisky!

 

[derek_d]

Elbow grease.

You might be able to know a good deal of it off with a water hose.

 

[Gary McD]

If you are going to use bleach the proper ratio is 1:20 (1oz of bleach to 20 oz of water).

I have had good luck with greased lighning. I let it sit on the WSM for about 1 hour then I rinse with water. I have never noticed any offensive order afterwards.

 

[Bryan S]

Blah, Blah, Blah. Every late winter into early spring I seemed to get mold when I would leave the WSM covered up. I no longer use the cover and haven't had any mold problems since doing this. But in years past when I had the mold to deal with I just used Dawn Power Dissolver and hosed it off with the garden hose. Worked like a charm. HTH

 

[doug gillis]

the included cover is junk. I don't bother with it as it only allows moisture and condensation to collect inside unit. The cover isn't waterproof.

 

[Jim S]

Originally posted by doug gillis:
the included cover is junk. I don't bother with it as it only allows moisture and condensation to collect inside unit. The cover isn't waterproof.

I wondered about that. I haven't even taken the cover out of the bag. Good thing the WSM is porcelain coated, otherwise it would be an expensive rust bucket in a few years.