Last year a hotel group’s corporate office called us. Three of their properties had the same problem — cabinet bottoms rusted through, black mold growing in tile grout, and maintenance crews patching things up every few months. They had a budget approved but no one was sure what fix would actually stick. After an hour on the phone, the facilities manager asked: “So we swap everything to stainless steel, and that solves it, right?” I said: “Skip the drainage tray and stainless won’t help either.” How to Stop Rust and Mold in Your Janitor Closet? Rust and mold — the real source is standing water The problem in a janitor closet isn’t the cabinet material. It’s that nobody designed for water. Mops dry standing up — water runs down the handle and pools on the floor. Buckets sit inside the cabinet with loose lids, seeping slowly. Wet rags get hung on the door overnight. None of that water evaporates fast in a small, unventilated room. It collects under the cabinet base, seeps into corners, and turns the whole closet into a mold farm. Most janitor cabinets have a flat bottom. Water sits there. The cabinet’s contact surface stays wet. That’s…