How to get rid of mold in your carpet permanently
If mold appears in your home, there is no doubt that its smell will remain for a long time. The first to absorb the smell and with it, the spores are the fabric elements of the home: carpets, tulle, and sofas. Therefore it is necessary to first remove all mold and fungus spores from them, and then to remove the unpleasant smell.
Is carpet mold dangerous?
Mildew appears in carpeting due to excess moisture. If you flooded the carpet and did not dry it, or you washed it and did not dry it thoroughly, or it dried too slowly, the carpet already has a specific smell. For its emergence, it is enough that the product has remained wet for 24-48 hours. As a rule, it is the backing of the carpet that suffers first from mold, as it takes longer to dry. Carpet pile dries faster and therefore becomes infected later, from an already affected base.
So, the carpet smells musty and may even be covered with dark stains. What to do? The main thing is not to leave it "as is." This is dangerous:
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Molds are microscopic fungi. They settle in the fibers of the carpet and gradually "eat" them up. If no action is taken, the item will simply fall apart after a few years.
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Multiplying, mold fungi release millions of tiny spores into the air and volatile products of life (they create a specific smell) and you inhale them. It also gets deposited in your skin and food. The safest consequences of such a life - allergic reactions (runny nose, cough, dermatitis). But it can be worse - asthma, fungal pneumonia, kidney, and liver damage.
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In addition to mold, putrefactive bacteria can settle on a damp carpet. They give off a musty odor (damp, musty, old). These germs are dangerous, too. And they need to be eradicated just as much as the fungus.
Hence two conclusions:
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You can't live in the same room as a moldy carpet. Either clean it or throw it away.
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It makes no sense to fight only the smell. The main danger lurks in the germs themselves, so first think about how to get rid of mold from the carpet. And only after you've eliminated it can you start deodorizing and removing stains.
Can moldy carpet be saved?
Yes, there are many methods, which we'll look at a little later. Whichever remedy you choose, stick to the following tips:
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Before treating the entire carpet, try the product on a small area of the carpet. Give the chosen piece a good scrubbing and wait until it dries. If the paint does not fade, does not darken, and the pile does not change its structure, you can clean the rest of the area.
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Be sure to dry the item well after cleaning. Otherwise, mold will settle into the lint again, and all the work will be in vain. For drying, you can use all possible ways - hang the carpet outside (windy and sunny weather is especially good), turn on a fan, raise the temperature of the air in the room. Be sure to ventilate intensely, because moisture goes nowhere in a closed room.
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With heavy infestation, it is worth treating not only the carpet but also the floor under it. It should also be well drenched with a disinfectant solution and dried. But be careful - on parquet, painted boards, and even on ceramic tiles from various solutions can stain. Try it on a small area first.
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After cleaning, throw away or thoroughly disinfect the containers and tools that were used. Otherwise, they will become new breeding grounds for mold and infect your home elsewhere.
Also, understand that mold treatment is not cleaning in the full sense of the word. If the carpet was dirty, to begin with, it would leave old stains and streaks. In addition, mold particles, even dead ones, retain their allergenic properties. Therefore, it is desirable, after antifungal treatment, to clean the product with a good cleaner and only then dry it.
What kills mold on carpet?
There are factory-made antifungal products, known as fungicides, available in stores. Many of these can also be used to treat carpets for mold. These products are usually sold as sprays that are easy to spray on the surface. When buying a product, check how it will work on the material of your carpet. Also, be sure to read the instructions on the package and follow them strictly.
We offer a general plan of action for destroying mold on the carpet. How to remove it:
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First of all, take care of your own protection - wear a mask and goggles, use work clothes. During cleaning, the number of spores in the air will increase dramatically.
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Before you clean the carpet from mold, take it outside. If this is not possible, move the item to another location. With severe infestations, the fungus also settles on the floor under the carpet, so it will also have to be treated. If the floor is not infested, dry it well.
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When you work indoors, make sure you have good ventilation. But it is better to close the doors to other rooms so that the spores don't spread around the house.
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Dry the carpet if it is wet. Use a fan, a vacuum cleaner in blowing mode, or a dehumidifier. Raise the room temperature if possible. Outdoors, if the weather is good, you can simply leave the rug in a sunny spot for a day or two.
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Clean the product on both sides with a dry stiff brush. The goal is to wipe moldy growth from the surfaces.
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Vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove the wiped-off mold particles.
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Spray the carpet with a fungicide. Apply the cleaner to both sides of the carpet. Make sure that the product has covered the entire area of the carpet and is deeply absorbed into its structure. Remember that mold lives in the thickness of the material, and stains on the surface are just the tip of the iceberg.
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To improve the penetration of the preparation, rub the pile with a clean brush.
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Next, proceed according to the product manufacturer's instructions. Most fungicides do not need to be rinsed off, but the carpet should be dried thoroughly.
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If necessary, treat the floor under the carpet and dry it as well.
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Run a dehumidifier with a filter in the room for several days after cleaning. This will "catch" the flying spores. You can also air the room intensively.
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Treat all tools with a fungicide to avoid spreading the fungus.
Home remedies for mold on carpets
If you do not want to buy store "chemicals", you can use folk recipes. But they are not always effective. Some only work on certain types of microbes, others help only with mild contamination. How can you treat a carpet against mold? Choose a convenient option:
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Vinegar. Apply it to the carpet with a sponge, without diluting it. Leave it on for an hour, then rinse it off with clean water. Vinegar does not kill all types of germs and is not suitable for all carpet fibers. Before you clean the entire carpet of mold, try it on a small area to see how well it works.
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Baking soda: Great for getting rid of mold and eliminating odor. Dilute the baking soda in warm water to kill the germs. Apply the solution to the carpet and leave it to dry. Remove dry crystals with a vacuum cleaner.
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Tea tree essential oil. Dilute 1 tbsp. of the product in a glass of water and pour the solution into a sprayer. Spritz the soiled areas and leave to dry. This is an excellent antiseptic that will help with minor fungus infestation on the carpet.
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Grapefruit seed essential oil. It is used in the same way as tea tree oils. You will need 10 drops of oil per glass of water.
Ozone and ultraviolet against fungus
How else can you get rid of mold on the carpet at home? If possible, use an Ozonator or an ultraviolet lamp:
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Set the lamp so that it shines on the surface of the carpet. Turn it on for half an hour. Then turn the carpet over the other side and quartz it again.
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It is advisable to run the Ozonator with a fan so that the ozone is blown directly onto the carpet. You must also ozonize the product on both sides.