Carpet Mold
Carpet is a very porous surface and if it gets wet, carpet mold can start growing within 24 hours. Carpet’s porous nature also makes it extremely difficult, and therefore expensive, to properly disinfect. If you have a room with a mold problem, you will almost certainly need to remove and dispose of the carpet. If the carpet is too sentimental or valuable to dispose of, bag and seal it, and take it to a specialty carpet cleaner.
Once the carpet is removed, be sure to clean the surface underneath with an appropriate mold killing solution to remove any mold residue from the subfloor before new carpeting is installed. If you’ve completed a mold remediation, but haven’t properly cleaned or removed a carpet with high spore count, the mold can quickly repopulate.
HOW TO GET MOLD OUT OF CARPET
If the carpet mold has just begun to populate, and you want to salvage the carpet yourself, there are two methods you can attempt to remove the mold. First, if possible, remove the carpet from the home or office prior to cleaning it. Be sure to wet the mold or bag the carpet before moving it outside, to avoid spreading the mold spores.
If you are able to remove the carpet:
- Wearing a mask, use a broom to sweep the carpet. This will loosen the mold.
- Use a HEPA wet/dry vacuum to clean the carpet, removing as much of the mold as possible.
- Using one of the mold killing solutions and a sponge, scrub the carpet until the mold is no longer visible.
- Use the wet/dry vacuum to remove any remaining moisture and leave the carpet to dry in the sun, which will help to kill any remaining mold spores.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean all tools used, such as the broom and vacuum, before bringing them back into your home.
If you are unable to remove the carpet:
- Seal off the area of the home where you’ll be attempting to clean the carpet. Be sure to wear a ventilated mask while you’re in the remediation area.
- Before you begin cleaning, spray the carpet with water or a mold cleaning solution. This will prevent the mold spores from lifting from the carpet and spreading through the air.
- Using a steam cleaner, do an initial cleaning of the carpet.
- Next, use a mold killing solution, such as 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, and apply to the affected area of the carpet.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Using a wet/dry vacuum or steam cleaner, suck up as much of the solution as possible.
- Use a dry towel to soak up the remaining moisture.
- Be sure to thoroughly wash all tools and materials used to clean the rug, such as the towels and vacuum.
