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I just opened my pail of drywall mud and discovered mold on the sides. It has been a few months since I last opened it. This happened to me a few years ago. I tried using the mud anyway, but the bad odor persisted in the dried mud. I had to toss that pail of mud. As a work-around, I've been using 20 minute mud powder, but that was going to be inconvenient for a somewhat larger project I had recently. How do I prevent mold from growing in the bucket?

Edit: I wonder if I sprayed (light mist) a mix of chlorine (Clorox) and water onto the sides and surface of the mud?

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Once you have mold in the bucket, the compound is no good. After using some compound from a bucket, I found that if I cover the unused compound with cellophane it helps to extend the life of the bucket. Take a bucket scoop to push all the unused compound into the bottom of the bucket, then cover it with the plastic. Even though the compound may last a little longer, it won't last forever.

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  • Thank you for your answer. Mold was growing mostly on the side of the bucket. I didn't/couldn't scrape the side because it had started drying and would drop hard bits into the mud.
    – Les
    Jun 19, 2014 at 13:33
  • Okay, Sorry, I was speaking of when you get a new bucket of drywall compound. Once you get mold, you shouldn't use the compound in the bucket. Have you investigated the different setting-type joint compounds? They have different setting times. You can get one that takes, for example, an hour to set.
    – Edwin
    Jun 19, 2014 at 15:47
  • mud is cheap, throw it away and get some fresh stuff.
    – shirlock homes
    Jun 20, 2014 at 11:52

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