When Blue, Green, Red, Orange, and White Aren’t So Pretty
When the IPPC set the heat treating regulations and companies started using heat treated pallets to ship overseas, Southern based packaging firms ran into another problem. The combination of high humidity, high heat, and low sunlight created the perfect conditions for the growth of mold on heat treated pallets.
The heat treating process benefits the industry by killing all of the insects in the wood, but the process also brings the natural sugars out of the wood and onto the surface of the wood. These sugars act as food for mold.
While undesirable, mold growth on pallets is harmless. It can be removed by a power sprayer and a small amount of bleach. The best way to handle the problem, though, is with a preventative chemical.
Arrington Lumber & Pallet Co is currently using a water-soluble copper-based chemical to help prevent the growth of mold on our pallets at the customers site. The chemical we use is suitable for use in any industry and is EPA approved for use with food packaging. We utilize custom-built dip tanks to treat our pallets after they assembled and heat-treated.
If your company is using heat treated pallets and is or might have problems with mold, Arrington Lumber & Pallet Co has a solution for you!