How to Remove Mold From Carpets?
These easy to follow steps shows you exactly how to remove mold from carpets and how to prevent mold re-growth. These are fungus that spreads releasing spores; it usually grows in the areas with moisture that is why they are usually found in damp places like wet basements. In most cases when the molds grow in the carpets, cleaning may not be possible, when if it grows on small areas it can be dealt with.
When in large areas where the carpet will require replacement, and the mold carpet may be as a result of mold spores landing on the carpet, with the help of the moisture and cellulose, germination may occur and this may be because of flooding, leaks or cleaning where there was no through drying.
How to tell there is mold in the carpets.
- Look at the circular patterns, of brown, black stains on the carpet.
- There are sour odors
- The stained area if felt with hand has moisture.
Precautions
Before cleaning, wear gloves, eye protection, and a HEPA filter mask rated to filter out mold and mildew spores, since the molds require humidity, reduce the humidity to eliminate mold growth.
Why the molds should be removed from carpets
When the molds stay for long, it may lead to health issues resulting from the myco toxins that may lead to discomfort and bad smell.
Steps taken to kill the molds
- Assess the situation
Identify the state of mold growth in the affected area at home, easy or difficult. It is based on the areas such as the sewage backup.
Eliminate the moisture areas
Molds only grow in areas with moisture, so it requires to be removed such that there is permanent drying and freedom. Molds are usually in the basement and susceptible to water vapor and filtration through the walls and floors.
To solve the problem, ventilate the basement when the door is cooler than the air inside the basement. Basement ventilation on cooler weather encourages more growth.
Make Removal Decision
Some moldy surfaces are ideal for treatment and restoration, but it is usually easier to remove and replace large areas of cylinder tiles, carpets and other non structural materials.
Dry places can allow moisture vapor to migrate up through the concrete to trigger mold growth on cupboard, so never store anything organic on directly on the concrete basement floor especially cardboard boxes.
Dry the area
Drying out moldy areas is good for success, air circulation and heat modifier, is powerful drying tools. This can reduce the humidity and the space can be still measured with hydrometer allowing less ventilation depending, of the overall temperature and humidity conditions.
See also: How to Deep Clean Carpets with a Vacuum Cleaner?
Kill and discourage re-growth
Most people use bleach which is not the right thing to do. It can’t do good on the porous surface because the mold have the root like structures called hyphae and they put the porous surface together.
The nutrients of the surface tension prevent the traditional bleaching water solution, prevention go deeply enough to concrete into these roots that is why the fungicide are better than the bleaching agents. It kills molds and prevents re-growth.
The mold stain eraser that can be used without changing color, but one can use the home remedies because they are cheap and these include using baking soda and vinegar, and then 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Mold stain eraser, comes is a powder and removes the molds without leaving any stains.
Wants to know how HEPA Filters Work? Check out this in depth post on HEPA Filters.
Prevent mold re-growth
- Even fungicides can be used, in order to keep moisture levels down so that there is no more re-growth of the molds. And ensure proper ventilation to prevent the high humidity especially during the winter seasons.
- Repair the leaking pipes that may increase the moisture that may allow regeneration of molds.