Carpet is a beautiful addition to your home decor and especially feels good under your feet. But what happens if mold shows up on your carpet? It is vital to remove mold from carpet as soon as possible as mold spores may cause serious health problems. Unfortunately, mold spores like moist carpets because of the thickness of the carpet, and getting rid of the mold from the carpet will not be as easy as it requires a more thorough, deep clean.
So, how do you clean mold from carpet? There are some different cleaning methods and chemicals that you can use to get mold out of a carpet – vinegar and baking soda, antifungal cleaner, or bleach (use bleach as a last option as it can bleach the carpet). So, let’s find out which one will work best for you!
To understand how to remove mold safely, first, you need to understand what mold is, how it develops, and also what steps you can take to prevent it.
How Does Mold Grows on Carpet?
Mold is a fungus that spreads by releasing spores. Mold spores are everywhere, including in your house. To grow and develop into mold, the spores need moisture, which is why you often find mold in moist areas like a wet basement or a poorly ventilated bathroom. Mold grows well on carpets because they are great at trapping moisture for an excessive amount of time.
Once a carpet gets wet (either because of leaks, flooding, or even carpet that was cleaned but not thoroughly dried), moisture gets trapped in the dense fibers and tiny nooks and crannies that make up the weave of the carpet. A wet carpet will stay wet unless you regularly work to dry wet carpet using fans, a hot air drier, or a dehumidifier.
Mold is likely to develop and fester under the carpet’s surface, making it undetectable. Although catching mold before it has become visible is difficult, it is not impossible. Oftentimes, our nose will smell the musty mildew odor from the carpet before we even see it growing. This is a good reason to act quickly when mold appears.
Mold also causes damage to the surfaces it grows on. Mold trapped under a carpet could end up damaging the floor or baseboards. That’s why it is crucial that any moisture detected on your carpet is addressed immediately before it has a chance to fully develop into mold.
How Problematic Can Carpet Mold Be on Your Health?
Mold spores are everywhere and will exist in your home air in some capacity. They’re not really harmful at low levels and as long as you try managing mold spores from collecting in large numbers.
But when left untreated, mold can impact your health in several ways. Mold in your house has a serious negative effect on air quality and inhaling mold spores could lead to health problems. According to the EPA, it releases allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions) and irritants. If touched or inhaled, it can result in throat, skin, and eye irritation, as well as coughing and a stuffy nose. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that people with mold sensitivity can experience upper respiratory symptoms and increased asthma symptoms.
This makes carpet mold especially problematic since children often play on the floor, and simply walking on moldy carpet can send spores into the air.
How to Clean Mold from Carpet
If the mold is in a small area, you can clean it with these easy ways mentioned below. However, if the mold covers the backing of the carpet, you may need to replace it or you can remove the mold from the carpet by cutting it out. Leave a border and add in a replacement piece. If this still does not work, then you will need to replace the carpet.
Ventilate the Room and Vacuum
Open a window and door if possible to get the smell and moisture out. The goal is to prevent mold spores from spreading throughout other parts of the house, but still keep the area well-ventilated. Even though not all molds are hazardous, it is vitally important that you protect your face and hands with face masks and gloves to ensure that the mold and cleaning chemicals do not affect your health.
You can use a vacuum with a HEPA filter for this, but there is a chance that mold spores will reside in or on the vacuum and spread to the rest of your house next time you use the vacuum, so be sure to change out the vacuum filter before using it again. If your vacuum doesn’t have a HEPA filter, use a broom and dustpan instead. Sweep the mold into a trash bag and discard it.
Use baking soda and vinegar to remove mold from carpet
Something as simple as baking soda and white distilled vinegar is actually the best mold remover in many circumstances. These two ingredients are a fantastic cleaning agent that does not harm your health, objects, or the environment. They might kill some mold and will help remove musty odors from the carpet. Consider using vinegar first before other chemicals like bleach.
Put baking soda on the mold and leave it overnight to treat the affected area. The baking soda will soak up the odor and the moisture. Vacuum the next day and proceed by adding some vinegar to the mold spots and scrub the surface using a scrub brush with a handle. Also, scrub the back of the rug or carpet.
The carpet will be moist again from the vinegar so it needs to be dried as quickly as possible. You can do so by ventilating the room with open windows or using extra fans or dehumidifiers to dry it out. If you can remove the carpet, take it outside in the fresh air to air out and direct sunlight for about 48 hours.
Additional tips: How to Clean Smelly Carpets
Use an anti-fungal spray
Try using an anti-fungal spray if the baking soda and vinegar do not work. You can find this spray online or at a local hardware store and choose one safe for carpets.
Spray the area of the mold and about 6 inches beyond with the anti-fungal spray and let it sit for about an hour.
It is essential that the excess spray is removed using a brush, discarding the mold that you scrape out into a trash bag. Using water will only increase the risk of mold returning. After scrubbing, set up a fan, a dehumidifier or outside in direct sunlight so the carpet will dry naturally. Leave the room as it is. Keep pets and children away from the area.
Use a steam cleaner
You can use a steam cleaner to clean up the mold as well. The heat of a thorough steam cleaning is one of the most effective ways to kill mold and the bristles on the brush will help loosen it up in the carpet.
How to Prevent Future Mold Forming in Carpet
Routine is key to preventing mold from forming in your carpet. Having a weekly regimen in place will help you stay proactive in the constant fight to keep your home a healthy one. Below are some tips that will keep you one step ahead of mold:
Open windows – Keep your home well-ventilated by opening windows so fresh air can enter your home. This is an easy way to reduce moisture in your home.
Dehumidifiers – If your home is humid or some areas in your home are prone to higher humidity, investing in a dehumidifier is essential. This is a great way to eliminate the high moisture in the air and help keep moisture levels from reaching a point where mold spores need to grow. Regularly checking the humidity levels as they can change throughout the day. Humidity levels should be less than 60% and running the air conditioning will also help manage humidity in your home.
Vacuum often – this will help keep the dust that accompanies mold spores off the carpet that may be tracked in the home.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters – or using other forms of air purification technology can remove mold spores from the air. Try to consider using a Molekule PECO technology. Unlike traditional air purifiers that trap mold particles, the PECO technology can destroy mold spores completely.
Replace the air filter – regularly replace your home air filters and make sure they filter out allergens such as mold and dust.
Planning when installing carpet – do not install carpet in areas prone to moisture. Be sure to choose moisture-resistant padding and check that it is installed correctly.
Roof Maintenance – check around your roof after damaging storms to see if there are any leaks or issues. Making sure shingles are in place and gutters are not clogged is a good idea. Water can get into the home if shingles are missing or gutters back up.
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When to Call a Professional to Remove Mold from Carpet
If you have tried all of the ideas above and still cannot get rid of the mold, it may be time to call contractors in your area with expertise in mold remediation. Removing mold from carpets with an area bigger than 10 square feet is a dirty, time-consuming job that can require special equipment and chemicals, so it could be worth it to hire experts to get it done for you. For the cost, it can vary greatly by region and depending on the size of the mold problem.
Key Takeaway
Mold is nothing to play around with and it needs to be taken care of as soon as it starts growing. Once mold gets into the carpet, it may be difficult to get rid of. If replacing the carpet is not an option, a proper cleaning that prevents mold from spreading elsewhere in your house could solve the problem. Always keep your carpets dry, and dry them out quickly if they get wet to prevent mold from forming in the first place.
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