The appearance of mold in the carpet is fraught with serious consequences, namely, a ruined carpet, bad smell, and health problems, so in this article, we will figure out how to get mold off the carpet and get rid of its unpleasant odor.
Mold is a fungus that destroys different surfaces, in particular, corrodes the carpet fibers. It emits a stale odor, and it is usually bad for your health – especially if you have allergies, asthma, or immune system disorders.
Reasons for Mold in Carpet
Of course, high humidity can provoke fungus and mold. That is why it is easier to prevent it than to deal with the consequences later.
Most often, the carpet gets moldy in the following places:
- bathrooms and toilets;entrance hall (this is where rain and meltwater from the street often comes in);
- the first floors of multi-story buildings (due to dampness from the basement);
- corner rooms (especially not insulated and not waterproofed from the outside);
- places under furniture, in corners, and near walls, because the sun penetrates here worse and the air circulation is worse.
How to Fight Against Mold in the Carpet
The chemical industry produces a lot of liquids and powders for fungus control. Fungicide sprays are the most popular. They are easy to apply and can be used on any surface. In addition, they are affected by black, gray, green mold, and most types of rotten bacteria.
However, the store with fungicides is not always around, and not everyone wants to use chemicals in the house, especially when it comes to the carpet on which children play.
| Vinegar | Apply it to the carpet with a sponge, without dilution. Leave it for an hour, then rinse with clean water. Vinegar does not kill all kinds of germs and is not suitable for all carpet fibers. Before you clean the whole carpet from mildew, try a small area, how this product will work. |
| Soda | Excellent mold removal and odor removal. To destroy germs, soda should be diluted in warm water. Apply the solution to the carpet and leave it to dry. Vacuum away the dry crystals. |
| Tea tree essential oil | Dilute 1 tbsp in a glass of water and pour the solution into the sprayer. Spray the contaminated areas and leave to dry. This is an excellent antiseptic that will help if the carpet is slightly affected by a fungus. |
| Grapefruit stone essential oil | It is used in the same way as the tea tree. You will need 10 drops of oil for a glass of water. |
| Yodine | Add 20 drops of pharmacy iodine to 10 liters of water. Treat the carpet with the obtained solution and leave it to dry. The product is suitable only for dark-colored products, as iodine makes them yellow. |
| Ozone and ultraviolet | The ultraviolet lamp should warm the coating on both sides for half an hour. The Ozonator performs the same procedure, but with the help of a fan, so that the ozone does not disperse throughout the room, but falls directly on the carpet. |
Of course, if the mold has spread deep on the surface of the carpet, the home methods can be ineffective. In this case, the help of Guru Restoration specialists will help, thanks to which the carpet dry cleaning at home will give the maximum effect. As a result, the product will be clean, fresh, and disinfected.
Precautionary Measures
- Protect yourself from healthy spores that you may come into contact with while cleaning the carpet: wear a mask, goggles, and gloves, if it is possible to get protective clothing, use it too.
- Then take the carpet outside, and if this is not possible: open the windows and close the doors to another room so that the spores do not spread.
- Take a hard brush and walk through the places with mold on the carpet, both on the inside and on the front side.
- Use an antifungal agent. Apply the product to the front and back of the carpet, waiting until the liquid penetrates deep into the structure of the product. Do not forget to clean the floor and all surfaces in the room (pedestals, shelves, tables, etc.), also clean the equipment that you used.
- After that, you should wash the carpet well on both sides and dry it. Make sure that the carpet has dried completely on all sides and there is no trace of mold.
- You will need to ventilate the room for a few more days.
Prevention of Mold in Carpets and Indoors
To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary first of all:
- make sure that there are no leaks or pipe breaks;
- to ensure a good circulation of warm air, if necessary, it is worth using an air dehumidifier;
- put flowerpots at a safe distance;
- bath mats to dry daily after taking all the procedures, for disinfection is worth several times a month to wash them with vinegar.
In conclusion, it may be noted that the emergence of mold in carpets and rugs – an unpleasant event in every home and if it happened, it is necessary to get rid of it as soon as possible. To prevent the emergence of mold, watch for moisture in your home, periodically conduct a thorough cleaning of all rooms and their disinfection to avoid the appearance of fungus, and in case of serious soaking of the carpet, as soon as possible, take care of its drying (until the complete drying of all products, including the base).