We have a strip of caulking on our backsplash that is right behind the kitchen sink and is constantly getting wet. It is a bit unwieldy to reach but we try to keep it as dry as we can. Anyways, it has grown some nasty looking crap on it. Life has been very hectic in our home for the past few months and I probably put it off too long. I acknowledge I'm probably an idiot for letting it get gross, but if you want to remind me of that i guess that's ok.

Anyways, I decided to attack it tonight by ripping out the old caulking and re-caulking it. I've scraped a lot of the old moldy caulk out, but I'm having difficulty getting all of it.

Question #1 -
I assume I need to get out every last bit before I re-caulk or run the risk of it coming back quicker? This stuff is really difficult to get at due in part to how the backsplash is positioned.

I've looked online but haven't found a straight answer. Instead, I've grown more nervous about dangerous black mold. I know there are ways to id black mold on flat surfaces but i'm not sure about on caulk. (The caulking that was originally put in there claimed to be mold resistant but obviously that didn't work).

Question #2 -
Short of calling in experts is there any way to tell if it's dangerous black mold? It seems unlikely to me but i'd like to feel more sure.

Ugh. I have been using protective gloves but i did not wear a mask and now I'm wishing I had.

Any pointers would be welcome.