Preventing And Removing Mold From Your Carpet
Posted on 16/06/2023
Preventing And Removing Mold From Your Carpet
Black mold, which is a type of living fungus, can be found in almost any kind of damp, moist or wet environment. Go to the woods and look at the leaves on the ground at the decaying leave, a you will more than likely find mold living on them. Since the leaves are plentiful, the mold will continue to thrive and grow. This is great because we want these dead leaves to be consumed, rather than left to pile up. However, having mold in your home – not such a great idea! Since mold needs to eat and digest to grow, it is actually looking for ‘food’, and this can come in the form of your home’s damp walls, wall coverings, carpets and rugs.
Having mold in your home is dangerous, not only to the state of the home, but also to the health of the occupants. The spores given off by household mold is known to cause breathing problems to people who suffer from asthma and other breathing ailments. Once you suspect mold is growing in your home, it needs to be removed immediately, and completely.
Before we talk about removing mold from your carpets and rugs, it’s important to understand that in the case of mold, prevention is far better than cure. If you stop the mold from setting up home in your residence, then you will save a lot of time and money from not having to remove it.
The first thing you should know when it comes to mold prevention is that you need to keep the humidity levels in your home constantly at the right levels. Aim to keep the humidity levels at somewhere between 30 to 60%. You may need the help of a dehumidifier to do this.
Secondly in areas where there is likely to be a lot of water splashing around, such as the bathroom and kitchen, you want to avoid using carpet as a floor covering. You’re simply asking for mold trouble, if you ignore this piece of advice.
Finally, if you have a leaking pipe, or a lot of water is dropped onto the carpet, you need to immediately act and dry the area thoroughly. Remember that mold loves dark and damp areas, and the underside of a damp carpet is perfect for it to thrive.
So how do you remove mold from your carpets and rugs? Depending on the size of the mold affect area, and the depth of the mold problem, you may wish to contact a professional carpet cleaning company to fix the problem. However, if you are intent on trying to fix the problem yourself, here’s what you should do. Mix a solution of Lysol (liquid disinfectant) and water, and use a sponge to wash the down the affected, removing as much of the mold as you possibly can. Don’t soak the area but make sure you have enough of the solution on your sponge for it to have any effect in washing off the mold. Some people suggest using a solution of bleach and water, but you have to be careful with that option, since it may have the side effect of discoloring your carpet.
Once all of the visible mold has been removed with the solution, you need to thoroughly dry the area. The best way to do this is to liberally sprinkle baking soda over the damp area, and then use a stiff bristled brush to agitate it deep into the carpet fibers. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then vacuum the area thoroughly to lift out the baking soda, which should have absorbed most or all of the moisture.
Finally make use of either a fan or heater to finish off the drying process. The carpet must end up being 100% dry, because remember, the problem originated because of damp or wet carpets.
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