What should I do to prevent mold growth behind my washing machine?

My washing machine has small air openings on its back side and because it is placed under the kitchen counter, there is no good ventilation.


As a result, humidity is trapped between the washer and the wall and therefore mold started growing on the wall.





What should I do to prevent mold growth?


I cannot put the washing machine anywhere else.





Should I paint the wall with a mold-resistant paint?





Please help!What should I do to prevent mold growth behind my washing machine?
The fan idea is a great one. If you really want to get creative, you can get a very compact fan and place it inside the cabinet next to the washer machine. This means that you would have to cut a hole in the cabinet and run power from hopefully your garbage disposal outlet. Or a fan on the crevice between the cabinet and the washer machine. The point is get some air back there. Do you have mold or mildew. Mold is black and very very dangerous to your health, mildew is green and not as bad, but it can pose a health issue as well. The cheap and dirty on getting rid of it is getting the machine out, clean the surface of the wall with 1 part clorox and 3 parts warm water. Wipe it clean, then get some KILLS primer, sold at your local Home Depot. You'll want to ventilate the area when your doing this, get the kids out of the area if you have them and wear a mask that is rated for mold and gloves. The harder to some way of solving the problem is replacing the affected area sheet rock with paperless sheet rock being that mildew grows on the paper lining of the sheet rock. You can do a quick patch job on that and since its behind the washer machine, it don't have to look pretty.





Good LuckWhat should I do to prevent mold growth behind my washing machine?
The first thing you should do is get rid of the stain of mold. Clean it with bleach as they said before.





Mold only appears and survives when there is an excess of humidity. Painting the wall will only cover the mold. The problem will still be there but you just won't see it for a while...





You need to get rid of that humidity. As they also said this excess of humidity comes because of a lack of ventilation.





I had a similar problem in a closet with no ventilation and mold started to grow, I found a product called Humydry and I solved the problem. The device is a non electrical dehumidifier that seems to absorb the excess of humidity by transforming it into liquid. You could probably fit one of these devices behind the washing machine, they have different sizes, you would have to remember to change the refill every 2 or 3 months that's it.





Hope that works for you!
Mold resistant paint is a myth. It never lasts. Kill the existing mold with bleach. Check all water lines for leaks. With the unit out, run a load of dishes and watch for water, or steam. Is the unit designed to be installed in a cabinet? A built in unit should be completely self contained and insulated to prevent condensation and subsequent mold and mildew.
The paint is a good idea, but I would also put a fan in the area to keep the air moving. I have a fan pointed into my bathroom that I run for 2 hours on a timer every day.
You should put a vent in your wall or cabinet. With lack of ventilation to the unit your machine will not work as good. It will break down eventually.