MikeB wrote:

Right, I live in North Texas (DFW area) in a house that was built in
1983.

Today my wife noticed some black spots on a kitchen cabinet shelf.
Upon further investigation, the deepest, most unreachable part of
those shelves were black with mold. Since these shelves are right next
to the dishwasher, I next looked under the dishwasher and my worst
fears were true. There must be a slow or small leak somewhere in the
dishwasher plumbing, since there was a lake of water under there. This
water never seeped onto the floor, since the tiles on the floor seem
to form a small barrier that allows the water to spread under the
cupboards, but there never was enough water to complete fill that
hollow and spread over onto the floor.

So now I have several questions.

Can spraying bleach cure this or am I looking at replacing (at best)
the shelves that seem to be some form of particle board or 9at worst)
the entire set of kitchen cabinets?

How the heck do I get the dishwasher out of there and how do I look
under the dishwasher to find the leaking plumbing? All my tugging on
the dishwasher doesn't seem to move it and I'm afraid I might twist or
break something (nothing feels very strong) if I pull too hard.

For those familiar with the mold issues a few years back here in North
Texas, I guess I'm SOL as far as my insurance picking up a part of the
tab? I'll call my agent tomorrow, but I thought I'd ask here in case
someone has some experience.

Thanks


Relax! Mold/mildew isn't a new animal about to take over the world.
Your shelves will probably
be fine if cleaned with household detergent with a little bleach - let
them air out and dry before putting
stuff back. I assume they have some sort of finish on them.

I have had puddles under my dishwasher three times, none of them related
directly to the dw plumbing.
First time, the repair guy said there was buildup of dw detergent that
caused suds that kept the dw from
draining properly , so it ran over. Cu dump in a quart of white
vinegar and run through a full cycle. I
was skeptical but it worked.

Second time, I had forgotten all about the first problem, but it turned
out to be different - the dw had moved
slightly so that the door hit the edge of the cabinet ever so slightly
and didn't shut entirely.

Third time, water heater in corner of kitchen (on slab, inside corner
cabinet) was leaking slowly, water
ran over and puddled under the dw.

I may write a book about "plumbing events" in my condo - certainly gets
interesting sometimes.

As for mildew, any home in Florida without sufficient AC will grow
mildew somewhere. Spores are
everywhere, and they are supposed to be everywhere, so don't think you
can wipe them out. Clean, dry
and well ventillated are key. My hubby and I nudge the thermostat back
and forth constantly, he to 80, me to 78.
Not much diff, but at 80 the salt hardens and the saltshakers rust,
leather grows grey fuzz and elastic rots.