Did you accidentally spill water on the floor before and now you have to learn how to remove mold from carpet? No worries; if mold can thrive in moist then you can also grow your mold-dealing skills with this easy-to-follow guide.
How Do You Know If Your Carpet Is Moldy?
Not everyone spots molds at a single glance. This is why you have to learn how to distinguish between a simple stain or a tiny stretch of mold when trying to clean water damaged mold. There are different tests you can apply before diving into mold remediation.
One of which is inspecting the smell of the carpet. If it gives a musty and earthy smell like a decaying plant, this is a clear sign for mold growth.
Another factor to watch out for is the appearance. Molds appear in circular patterns and usually come in dark colors.
However, here’s a warning: do not get anywhere near the soaked carpet without safety gears such as gloves and goggles. Molds may be tiny but a certain amount and type of them can be toxic to one’s health.
What Kills Mold And Mildew On Carpet?
As much as mold is a nuisance to your home and you are already itching to remove it, there are certain amounts of mold that only specialists can handle. You can also try to learn how to remove mold caused by water damage. If the mold-infested area only occupies a small space of your carpet, then here are the cleaning remedies you can try on your own.
Other than the fact that these cleaning solutions are safe and natural, these will not also cause you a hundred bucks. You can easily find them on your kitchen cupboards or laundry materials. These things also do not entail you to battle with harsh chemicals.
1. Hot tap water and dish soap
When you ask for a mold cleaning recommendation from someone, this probably comes on the top of the list. To apply this, mix a tablespoon of dish soap with a fair amount of hot tap water. The water should go before the dish soap to prevent excessive bubbles.
You can use this mixture with a shop vac or a rug shampoo machine. You just need to follow the instructions stated in the machine to avoid mishaps. After a few minutes, you can now have a carpet free from mold!
However, these cleaning agents only work for mild mold contaminations. If you are dealing with a larger amount of mold growth, then that calls for other cleaning combinations.
2. Hot water and Lysol
This also applies to mildly infected carpets. To remove mold with only a few sprays, mix a single cup of Lysol into a bottle of hot water.
Let it penetrate into the affected area for 25 minutes. After which, you can use a vacuum cleaner or shop vac to completely get rid of the remaining mold and contaminants out of the carpet.
3. Baking soda and vinegar
A mixture of these two is not only proven to clean a moldy carpet but also delay the spread of mold. You can use these two by applying vinegar to the affected area and let it sit for about an hour.
When the timer’s done, rinse vinegar off of the carpet with hot water. Afterwards, create a thick paste of baking soda by mixing it with warm water. Apply the paste to the affected area and leave it for another hour.
To remove the paste from the carpet, use a brush or shop vac to make sure there is no paste left. This mixture can also be used to remove the harmful odor of mold contamination.
4. Tea tree and grapefruit seed oil
What is a better way to remove mold than combining two powerful and beneficial natural oils? Tea tree and grapefruit seed oil are both known to contain antifungal and antibacterial benefits which may both aid in cleaning your moldy carpet.
To apply, just simply fill an empty spray bottle with hot water. Choose whether you want to add a teaspoon of tea tree oil or 10 drops of grapefruit seed oil. Give a few sprays to the affected area and leave the solution for 10 minutes.
Afterwards, use a vacuum cleaner or shop vac to make sure that the tiny molds out of plain sight as well as the contaminants are completely removed from your carpet. As this solution is known to be highly beneficial, you can try it on larger amounts of mold.
Conclusion
Molds can be pretty deadly and you may need to utilize a bit of science to know how to remove mold from carpet. It does not end with a simple mixing as well because you would also need to extend every bit of your energy in scrubbing away the remaining cleaning solutions.
However inconvenient it is to deal with a moldy carpet, you don’t have to stress yourself as this guide gives you a walkthrough with the basic things you need to know. Take in a few minutes and you will soon have a mold-free carpet.