Carpets aren’t supposed to have a discernible smell. Not when they’re clean and free of bacteria, grime, and other hazardous elements that can start to give off a particular scent. But if your carpet is emanating a thick and noxious musty aroma, then you could be dealing with a very specific and potentially toxic problem: Mold.
Excess Moisture
When you have mold growing in your home, it can be downright harmful to you and your family. Finding mold in carpet means that your interiors have sustained some excess moisture. This usually comes about from flooding that has entered the home but even smaller concentrations of water and moisture getting caught under the carpet or the padding can produce mold.
In fact, any carpet that remains wet or even damp for an extended length of time is more prone to the development of mold the longer it stays in that condition. For situations where your mold has started showing indications of mold growth, the first thing you need to do is determine where the moisture is originating from so you may stop it completely.
If there’s a leak somewhere, tamp it down. You may also want to see if there is any water damage in the area as a result. Floor boards and drywall that has sustained damage due to moisture may need to be repaired or replaced. You may also find mold in these areas, hidden away from immediate view.
Sometimes this moisture can come from a carpet cleaning job that wasn’t performed properly. Many Bluffton SC carpet cleaners will use moisture to deep clean the carpet and you must ensure that the experts you call to come into your home are properly trained at removing the water so that your carpet dries quickly.
Clean-Up Options
As for your carpet, you will need to have the mold removed from the affected areas. This could mean the removal of your carpeting to clean out the mold that has grown underneath it or repairs made to the carpet to remove those areas where mold has grown in the backing material or between the fibers.
For those particularly bad situations where the mold has grown too prevalent, the best and only recourse available is to have the carpet removed from the home entirely. That can be a very costly and inconvenient solution, especially if the carpeting is only a couple of years old. You don’t want to waste significant amounts of money replacing a new carpet that has been destroyed by moisture and mold that it breeds.
Testing Your Carpet
So, is there mold growing in your carpet at the present time? You’re not sure? There’s a way to find out. Buy yourself one of those mold testing kits that are available at a local hardware store. These kits work by auditing the airflow moving through your carpet fibers for any evidence of mold spores. These spores will attach themselves to the kit and begin to multiply.
When your kit shows a positive response, you will know for sure if there is mold growing in your carpeting and you can take the necessary steps to prevent it from getting worse and save the carpet in the process.
