Rainy season is slowly coming to an end in the Columbia, MD area but there are still some weeks left where the muggy warm temperatures here and there combined with a little rain may bring a mold problem which will require some carpet cleaning.
Any areas of damp or wet carpet that go unnoticed or ignored for long periods of time run the risk of having mold grow in those areas. You may notice mold from green, grey, or white colored patches that it leaves in affected areas or its distinct pungent smell. Mold is a living organism that will continue to grow and continue to spread if not treated quickly. Proper carpet cleaning is vital in destroying mold!
If you let mold grow too large then the chances of it growing in to the carpet bedding and flooring are much higher, in which case you would then need to hire a carpet cleaning professional to clean it out or replace the carpet. There are ways to treat it on your own while it is still manageable however. The key when cleaning mold out yourself is to also figure out why it was there in the first place so it does not happen again!
Carpet Cleaning Mold
The first thing you should do when beginning to treat mold is air out the area in which the mold is located. Open any surrounding windows or if the mold is located on a rug that can be moved, then take it outside altogether. You also should take proper precautions and wear rubber or a face mask just in case the particular mold is a health hazard.
The next thing you want to do is lift the carpet where the mold is present and examine the backing. Any mold damage on the backing that is more than a few feet in size means the carpet needs to be totally replaced or that section needs to be cut out. If you can get the carpet up to examine the backing then what you need to do is just start treating the mold on the surface right away.
When beginning to treat the mold you should start by scrubbing the affected area with a dry thick bristle to remove any visible mold spores. Never vacuum! This will only spread the spores around. Next you want to use an anti-fungal spray and cover the whole affected area and more. If you can spray the back of the carpet do that as well and also make sure that the anti-fungal spray that you use it carpet friendly. Let the spray stand for an hour.
After an hour come back and blot the sprayed area with a dry and clean rag and then continue to let the area dry. Close any windows that were open, turn up the heat in the room, and use a dehumidifier if you have one to help the drying process. Come back 24 hours later ready to clean with water. Use a bristle to scrub the area with hot soapy water and then reapply the anti-fungal spray and let it dry completely on its own.
After all of this is completed then you should be mold free, but make sure to double check in the following days and weeks to make sure the mold has not returned.