# Disgusting Moldy Smoker - HELP!!!!



## old smokey nj (Sep 16, 2018)

Hello All,

I made the mistake of lending my MES to a buddy about 6 months ago. He used it a time or 2, and returned it about a week ago. I just went to fire it up for a smoked venison roast, and, much to my dismay, my buddy never cleaned it. EVERYTHING is covered in mold - walls, shelves, door, thermometer wire...everything. It smells even worse than it looks. I'm looking for some advice on how to clean it. I'm figuring one piece at a time - but I'm hoping there's some techniques and / or products that might make this job easier, or at least not so disgusting. I was going to post some pics, but I think you all get the picture, and I may vomit while trying to take the pics.

I don't know what he was thinking, and I'm certainly never lending him anything again. It's so nasty, I'm thinking of throwing the whole thing out! HELP!!!


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## old smokey nj (Sep 16, 2018)

Thanks Meat Mopper - do you mean after trying to clean it plug it in, or plug it in now and dry out / kill all the mold?


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## old smokey nj (Sep 16, 2018)

Gotcha - I meant should I try to clean it first (get the big stuff out) and then plug in to kill remaining, or just plug it in initially and let the smoker get it clean. 

Thanks for the advice!!!


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## 73saint (Sep 16, 2018)

I hate that for you.   I let someone use my smoker once, swore I’d never do it again.  Never ceases to amaze me how people can do that.  I was taught to leave things better than they were when loaned to you.  That is a shame.


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## jted (Sep 16, 2018)

Hi,
I feel your pain. As far as cleaning I never clean the smoker  with commercial cleaners. A 50 50 mix of cider vinegar on  a damp  rag  will clean and kill the mold. Pull the grates as you have never cleaned them Spotless. Then rub them down with the vinegar mix.With the smoker unplugged wipe the walls down again. Remove the drip pan and clean it and the bottom. When dry Plug it up and run it real hot for several hours then let it smoke for a couple more.  Make it a all day project.
 Let me say you have had several opinions and mine is just one. 
If you want to have some fun invite the mold maker over give him some rubber gloves and a brillo pad Jted


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## SonnyE (Sep 16, 2018)

I just use the self cleaning setting.
Sparkle Farcle!

I do what daveomak posted. I run my MES 30 at 275° for two hours after using it to sterilize the smoker.
Then, before I use it again, I check the inside, and run it at 275° for two hours before smoking. Usually I use the pre-sterilizer cycle to also dry my AMNPS tray of pellets.

No bugs my Lady!

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; / For loan oft loses both itself and friend."


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## johnmeyer (Sep 16, 2018)

I'd sure do a light cleaning first, to get the worst of the stuff off. A lot of people here have recommended "Purple Power," which you can get at Walmart. It is mostly for the greasy stuff, but that may be what is under the mold.

My worry about simply trying to get rid of it by heating is that the MES doesn't even get close to self-cleaning temps (275 F for the MES; 900 F degrees for a self-cleaning oven). You risk baking the gunk on permanently rather than removing it.

To avoid mold in the future, I recommend leaving the door open for at least 24 hours after every smoke, to make sure every last bit of moisture gets out.


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## daveomak (Sep 17, 2018)

Mold can cause respiratory problems...  KILL IT FIRST with high heat....  then clean....   wear a mask when cleaning...
Close down the exhaust and crank her up to full heat...  If the exhaust is open,mold spores can escape the smoker..
The warm moist environment in your lungs is the perfect breeding ground for all kinds of stuff, including molds....


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## HalfSmoked (Sep 17, 2018)

Wow yup had the same thing happen but caught mine before it molded. I go along with Dave here kill that mold first with caution.

Warren


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## johnmeyer (Sep 17, 2018)

Dave brings up a really good point, but I would still be concerned about baking the stuff on and then maybe not getting it all off. Remember, at 275 (MES top temp) you aren't going to burn off anything, unlike a self-cleaning oven or a gas grill.

Since the concern is friable (airborne) particles, perhaps you could simply start by putting some bleach in a bottle, spray that on the gunky surfaces of the un-heated smoker, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, wipe off the bleach, and *then *proceed with a light cleaning, all of this prior to heating it up. Bleach kills mold and fungus pretty quickly and effectively. 

Doing this would avoid the problem Dave described, but without potentially baking the gunk on so that residue might still be infecting your future cooking for months to come.


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## old smokey nj (Sep 17, 2018)

Thanks everyone for your feedback. The mold is over 1/2" thick in some places, and is about 1/8" thick in most places. Bleach may kill it, but I'm not sure if it will soak in enough to completely kill it. It's a mess.


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## old smokey nj (Sep 17, 2018)

I'll try to take some pics tonight to give you all an idea of exactly what we're dealing with here.


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## SonnyE (Sep 17, 2018)

old smokey nj said:


> Thanks everyone for your feedback. The mold is over 1/2" thick in some places, and is about 1/8" thick in most places. Bleach may kill it, but I'm not sure if it will soak in enough to completely kill it. It's a mess.



Follow Dave's recommendations, and if needed, use a propane torch to burn it to death, _carefully_.
If there is any gas left, go sterilize your "friends" toes.

I hope the outside is cleaner than the inside.


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## daveomak (Sep 17, 2018)

TURN ON THE SMOKER TO MAX TEMP AND KILL THE MOLD BEFORE YOU DO ANY MORE....  CLOSE THE EXHAUST ALSO...


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## johnmeyer (Sep 17, 2018)

1/2" thick?? Wow, what the heck did your friend do? I've seen animals in the dead of winter with less fur than that!


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## gmc2003 (Sep 17, 2018)

old smokey nj said:


> I'll try to take some pics tonight to give you all an idea of exactly what we're dealing with here.



If you do I know I'll peak, but give us a warning post first. Especially if it's right after dinner.

Chris


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## SonnyE (Sep 17, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> If you do I know I'll peak, but give us a warning post first. Especially if it's right after dinner.
> 
> Chris


I had my torch in hand today lighting my AMNPS. There was a freeway (expressway) of ants flowing by my equipment.
Yup. Armageddon day for the ant run. Then I cut loose on the spider webs. Poof!
And there will be peace in the patio, today.


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## chopsaw (Sep 17, 2018)

Never disturb mold before you kill it . Close the smoker up and run it max temp like said above . You asked the question ,, there is the answer . 
I've been around mold remediation , it's a serious problem .


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## muddydogs (Sep 18, 2018)

What got left in the smoker? I've never had a mold problem in any of my smokers and all I do is wash the racks and change the foil in the drip pans. Got me worried now, I'll have to check the MES when I get home as last time I used it I spritzed with apple juice and honey but its not the first time.


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## old smokey nj (Sep 18, 2018)

Sorry all - got home too late to take pics. Will post them tonight. 

My "buddy" made stuffed jalapeno poppers and some fatties. Apparently made them a few days apart, and closed up smoker for 5 months, uncleaned!!!


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## SonnyE (Sep 18, 2018)

old smokey nj said:


> Sorry all - got home too late to take pics. Will post them tonight.
> 
> My "buddy" made stuffed jalapeno poppers and some fatties. Apparently made them a few days apart, and closed up smoker for 5 months, uncleaned!!!



Like I said, torch to the toes.
Give him the smoker, and make him buy you a new one.
Things you never loan out: Your chainsaw, your smoker, or your wife.


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## DanMcG (Sep 18, 2018)

Hmmmm I never clean my smokers and never had a mold problem....Guess I've been lucky.


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## zwiller (Sep 18, 2018)

Lots of good advice but I would prefer Oxyclean in hot water to clean up after the burnoff.  Once I turned my wife onto that stuff we buy a dozen tubs every trip to Dollar Tree.  Soak the racks and give the other parts and inside a good wipe down with paper towels.  Must have been a full pan of funky water sitting in warm temps.  While I am at it.  No need to use water in your ES for smoking.


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## SonnyE (Sep 18, 2018)

danmcg said:


> Hmmmm I never clean my smokers and never had a mold problem....Guess I've been lucky.



I clean my Racks and Mats, in fact, just washed up from my Salmon smoke.
But the smoker box just gets "The Dave". Sterilized at 275°
Don't want to wreck it's nice smoke patina....


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## SonnyE (Sep 18, 2018)

zwiller said:


> Oxyclean



It's not just for your unders anymore! :confused:o_O


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## zwiller (Sep 18, 2018)

Kinda sorta no clean here.  Line water pan AKA drip pan with foil.  Next day after smoke, pitch the foil and soak racks.  After a few hours give them a brush and rinse.  Good as new.


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## old smokey nj (Sep 18, 2018)




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## old smokey nj (Sep 18, 2018)

Here's the pics....I closed it up and cranked it to 275 for a couple hours...cleaning it tomorrow, maybe!


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## SonnyE (Sep 18, 2018)

Man, I'd take that back and make the idjit replace it with a new one.
And never loan him anything again.
It appears he could break an anvil with a glass hammer.


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## fivetricks (Sep 18, 2018)

Wow. That's awful.

If I were in your shoes I would get busy with a good facemask and some safety glasses and grab my propane torch. That will def kill the mold to the metal.

I would avoid doing that in the area around the rubber seals.

From there I'd get my putty knife, I have a little corner tuck knife that works great for the walls and get to scraping.

From there I'd be going either vinegar or a 15ppm bleach solution and a plastic brillo style pad and get to scrubbing. After a few strenuous rinses, I'd run it for several hours at high.

Finally, I'd find the so called "friend" and introduce my boot to certain parts of his anatomy.

Just my 2c as a mes owner


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## MeatSkull (Sep 18, 2018)

Spray bottle with bleach, food safety sites would recommend scrubbing it clean. After all is cleaned I would reseason it at high temp.


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## GATOR240 (Sep 18, 2018)

Wow! He should have been ashamed to return it to you and bought you a new one. That shows what type of person he is...I will refrain from telling you what I would do with the smoker - it involves your buddy also......:mad::mad::mad:   Good luck getting it back into smoking condition.


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## gmc2003 (Sep 18, 2018)

Well it's bad, but not as bad as I thought it was. Can you protect the electronics and give it a pressure washing?

Chris


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## old smokey nj (Sep 18, 2018)

Believe me, I would love to do all these things to my "friend", but as my wife explained, a friend wouldn't do this to another friend. The older in life I get, I find myself with fewer friends, and they are the best ones. Glad I got rid of this "friend"!
I got the smoker going now to try to dry everything out, and I'm then going to try to scrape it clean. I appreciate all the advice and jokes - still laughing over some of the comments!!!!
I'll be back with some updated pics in a day or 2. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!!!! Thanks again!!!


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## chopsaw (Sep 18, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Well it's bad, but not as bad as I thought it was.



I think thats after he burned it out . 

If you decide to scrub it out , try this . take everything out of the smoker thats loose . drip pan ect. 
Put a scraper and a wire brush in the smoker . 
Put a trash bag in the smoker bottom first , leaving the open end towards the door . 
Tape the open end of the bag to the door opening . 
Now you can reach into the bag and use the brush or scraper and the bag forms a barrier . 
Close the vent and chip loader for this . 
When you're done scraping , let it sit so things settle and see what you have . 
A dust mask offers you no protection , just FYI .


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## HalfSmoked (Sep 18, 2018)

Man o Man You said and we wondered if it was and it is really that bad. For sure not my way I borrow very few things and when I do its returned as good if not better than when I got it. Good luck with the clean up and be safe in doing it.

Warren


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## old smokey nj (Dec 26, 2018)

Hello all. So sorry for not following up on this - seems things have been really busy the last few months!!!!

So I did finally get it clean. I put the smoker on an old table in the yard so it would be easier to clean. I took anything that could be removed out (shelves, shelf brackets, pans, shields, etc.). All of that went into dishwasher, after removing as much mold off as I could by hand. I then started scraping off the entire inside. This took about a half hour. I wanted to get as much off as I could, but let me tell you, I eventually hit a point where enough was enough! I then sprayed the whole inside with "Greased Lightning" (I'm sure any grease cutter would work). I let that sit for a half hour and enjoyed a couple high-quality, frosty Busch Lights. I then used a wet terry cloth rag and began wiping out the unit. I repeated with another round of the cleaner (and beers), and wiped it out again. At this point it looked so much better with only some staining left from the mold. I cleaned the seals and scraped / washed the glass. After all that, I took the hose out and sprayed the whole unit out to get rid of any little areas that the rag didn't reach. I kept the door open for a few days to let the unit dry completely. I fired it up to max temp and let her cook for about 4 hours. Not sure if it mattered, but I closed the vent for the first 2 hours, then opened it for the remaining time.

I've since smoked about 3 different things in it, and all came out great. Suffice it to say, I won't be lending this out anymore!!! Thanks for everyone's advice and support! HAPPY SMOKING!!!!!


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## phrogpilot73 (Dec 26, 2018)

Who lends out their smoker?  Not this guy.  :D


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## SonnyE (Dec 26, 2018)

old smokey nj said:


> I've since smoked about 3 different things in it, and all came out great. Suffice it to say, I won't be lending this out anymore!!! Thanks for everyone's advice and support! HAPPY SMOKING!!!!!



I love a Happy Ending!

Me, and Hannibal Smith!

PS: I still like to do a "Burn Out" of mine when done.
I wash/clean my mats and racks, roughly dry, then run mine at 275° for two hours before covering and parking mine for the next time. Drying and sterilizing the racks, mats, and smoker inside. All tucked it snug and warm.
Use will develop a nice smoke patina inside it and the sins of the past will fade to black. (Litterally!)


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## Bearcarver (Dec 26, 2018)

I'm so glad to hear you got it cleaned up good!!!
I was worried hosing it out would ruin it electrically too, because I didn't think you could ever get it dry enough again.

Welcome back to the Smoking World!!

Bear


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 27, 2018)

phrogpilot73 said:


> Who lends out their smoker?  Not this guy.  :D



I did twice the first and last time.  :D

Warren


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