Discover effective strategies to eliminate mold in your carpet once and for all. Our comprehensive guide ensure a healthy living environment.
It looks nice in a house to have carpet, and it feels great under your feet in the beds. But what should you do if you find a water leak or water getting into your home and mold is growing?
To bad, mold spores like wet carpets because the backing and thickness of the carpet keep the wetness in well.
How Do You Remove Mold From Carpet?
There are a few ways to get rid of it: You can use bleach, vinegar and baking soda, or an antifungal cleaner. If nothing else works, use bleach, which can bleach the carpet.
Let’s look at why this is important, how mold grows, how to safely get rid of the mold, how to stop it from coming back, how to do regular upkeep, and when to call a professional.
Why Does Mold Grow On Carpet?
As it grows, mold releases spores that help it spread. There are mold spores all over, even in your home. Mold grows from spores that need water to form. This is why mold is often found in damp places, like a bathroom that doesn’t get enough air flow. Carpets are great at keeping water in, so mold likes to grow on them.
Mold and mold spores can be as small as three microns, according to information from the University of Central Florida.
When a carpet gets wet, whether it’s from a roof leak, a basement flood, a plumbing problem, high humidity, or just because you cleaned it but didn’t let it dry all the way, water gets trapped in the dense fibers and small spaces that make up the weave.
All carpets have something on the back that the weave is connected to. Water can get trapped under the carpet if the backing gets wet or if water gets under the backing. Fans, a hot air dryer, or a dehumidifier will not dry a wet carpet on their own; you have to do something about it. And mold will grow quickly on a wet couch.
Most of the time, we don’t look at the carpet in certain parts of our homes. There could be carpet in a room or under a big, heavy piece of furniture that is never moved. You might not notice that the carpet in one of these places is wet for a long time, which gives the mold plenty of time to grow and spread.
How Problematic Can Mold Be On Your Health?
Mold spores are very small objects that are found in the air. For them to do well, they need and are drawn to damp places. Also, they have no trouble getting into your house. They can get through windows, doors, and heating and cooling systems. They can also get on your clothes or pets. Once they find a good place to live, like your mattress, and mix with the dust in your home, mold can grow.
Mold germs will be in the air in your home in some way. They are everywhere, and small amounts don’t do much damage. The most important thing for “managing” mold spores is to keep them from gathering in big numbers. That’s when you start to have mold issues. To do this, you need to keep the germs from getting water, cellulose, and time.
Mold can hurt your health in a number of ways if you don’t get rid of it. The EPA says it gives off allergens and can even give off harmful chemicals called mycotoxins. If you touch it or breathe it in, it can irritate your throat, skin, and eyes, and it can also make you cough and stuffy nose. Mold inhalation can lead to lung infections or bronchitis in the worst cases, especially if the person already has a weak immune system. It can also make asthma symptoms worse.
How Does Mold Grow On Carpet?
Carpet is a great place for mold to grow and hide. This is especially important in places that get a lot of water, like the bathroom or basement. The thick, weaving material and the backing of the carpet can easily soak up and hold on to water for a long time.
Carpet has a complicated structure made up of many cellulose-based materials. As the saying goes, mold loves wet carpet, so if it gets wet, it makes the best place for mold to grow. When mold spores land on carpet, they use the wetness and cellulose to start growing. They are well on their way to becoming mold.
Mold can grow in places where there are leaks, water, or even carpet that was cleaned but not fully dried.
Mold can grow in just a few days, but it might not be noticeable for three weeks or even longer, and it might not even reach the surface of the carpet. Mold is likely to grow and spread below the top of the carpet, making it impossible to see.
Often, once it can be seen, the damage is too bad to fix, and the carpet can’t be saved. Mold can eventually damage the baseboards under your rugs if you don’t get rid of it.
It can be hard to find mold before it becomes obvious, but it’s not impossible. There may be a need to reveal a section of your carpet and do more research if you notice that it is wet or has a musty smell. Anything that looks or smells like mildew on the surface of your carpet could be a sign that mold is there. If you find wet on your carpet, you need to take care of it within 24 to 48 hours so that it doesn’t fully turn into mold.
Steps To Take As Soon As You Find Mold Growth
Step 1: Dry And Ventilate The Affected Area
You’ve now found the mold or mildew. The first thing you need to do is make the carpet an unwelcoming place for the germs to live. The best place for mold to grow is somewhere dark, damp, and warm.
Let some air in and turn on the fans. First, get rid of any remaining water or wetness. Then, work on lowering the humidity in the room. This will probably lessen the effects you’ve been noticing, like bad smells, allergic reactions, and so on. It will also stop the germs from spreading even more.
Step 2: Apply A DIY Mold Killer To Clean
Next, you need to figure out what kind of solution to use on the spot. If you want to kill mold on your own, there are a lot of suggestions out there. Some work better than others.
We recommend using:
- Putting baking soda on thin mold growth. You can sprinkle some on the moldy area and leave it overnight. In the morning, clean up the area.
- If you want to kill light to medium mold, use white vinegar. Put a lot of it in a spray bottle and use it all over. White vinegar only needs to sit for a few minutes, while baking soda needs to sit for a long time. After that, scrub the area until it’s all gone, and then use a hair dryer or fan to dry it.
- Hydrogen peroxide for mold that is really bad. Hydrogen peroxide naturally kills mold, so you can use it on almost any surface to stop mold growth or even get rid of it. In a spray bottle, mix about 3% hydrogen peroxide with water. Spray the area and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then wash the area with water and soap and dry it.
- Be careful not to go too crazy with your home remedies for getting rid of mold. For the health of yourself and the furniture in your home, don’t mix things that don’t belong together.
If these home remedies don’t seem to be getting rid of the mold, you should try to figure out what kind of mold it is. By looking at the mold’s shape and color, you might be able to find a better way to get rid of it.
Mold removers can also be bought at tool stores or even grocery stores. Remember, though, that do-it-yourself projects to get rid of mold should only be used for small issues. You are way too weak to deal with a major mold problem that has spread from the floor to other parts of the house. Now is the time to call a pro.
Step 3: Prevent Mold Growth From Returning
Once the mold is gone, you need to keep it from coming back, which it will if you don’t. Mold often grows in the same spot twice.
If the mold growth happened in a place that gets wet a lot, how can you stop it from happening again and again?
A dehumidifier is a good idea for places that stay dark and damp, like most basements. Rooms with regular humidity levels of more than 50 percent are great places for mold to grow. By setting up and usually running a dehumidifier, you can keep the levels normal and stop mold growth from happening again.
You should also think about making the space more airy. When you can, leave the windows open. When you can’t, turn on the AC. Moving air around can do a lot to lower your risk of mold growth.
Finally, you should clean your carpets often, either by hand or by hiring an expert if you can. Mold can’t grow in places that aren’t very dry as long as you vacuum and steam clean them often. This is also true for rugs, not just your permanently put down carpet.
Be Safe When You Tackle Mold
Remember that if you decide to deal with your mold problem yourself, you are in charge of your own safety as well as the safety of your family, neighbors, and other people who live with you.
It can be very bad for your health to breathe in mold germs. We suggest that you wear an N-95 respirator whenever you are close to the germs, even when you are scrubbing and doing your own treatments.
When you work on the hurt area, you should also wear gloves. This keeps your skin safe from both the mold and the chemicals you’re using to get rid of it. Even after taking off your gloves and cleaning the damaged carpet, make sure you wash your hands well to avoid spreading spores or toxins by accident.
Finally, you should put on shades. It might seem like too much, but you don’t want germs, toxins, or chemicals in your eyes.
Different people can have different reactions to mold spores, or they might not react at all, based on the situation. Keep an eye out for signs of severe allergic reactions in yourself and anyone else concerned. If you are breathing, wheezing, getting headaches, or having an asthma attack, you should see a doctor right away.
Mold Prevention Tips
- Even if you put a water tray under the plants, don’t put them right on the ground. If you put pots on carpet, make sure they are glazed and not clay. Also, use a moisture barrier like a rubber tray or mat.
- Do not put firewood on top of carpet; there should always be something to keep the wood and carpet from getting wet.
- If your cat or dog has gone to the bathroom in the same spot more than once, talk to a pet store about repellent sprays that can make the area less appealing for Fido or Chairman Meow.
- If you live or work in a wet area, you should buy good dehumidifiers to keep the moisture level at a minimum all the time. Along with matting, this will protect hardwood floors and artwork.
Conclusion
Mold is a serious issue that should be addressed promptly once it’s detected. Mold can grow in various places, such as damp and humid environments, and it poses health risks, especially for individuals with respiratory issues or allergies.