How To Clean Mold And Mildew Stains Out Of Carpeting

It doesn't take a lot of moisture to cause mold and mildew to grow in your carpet. Soon, the carpet will become discolored. If you have an area of carpeting that has become damaged by mold and/or mildew, you can undo the damage. Here, you'll learn how to eliminate the mold and mildew in your carpeting to make it look better and eliminate the health hazards that living with it could present.

Vacuum Well

Anytime you are cleaning a spot or stains in your carpeting, it is crucial that you vacuum the area very, very well. The more dirt you leave behind, the harder it will be to get the stains out without causing further discolorations.

If the area is damp, don't use your traditional vacuum. Instead, get a wet-dry vacuum and suck up the moisture and dirt deep in the fibers of the carpet. If you use a traditional vacuum on wet carpeting, you'll not only damage the machine, but you put yourself at risk of electrical shock.

Note: Don't allow the dirt that you've just sucked up out of the mildew and mold infested carpeting to sit in the vacuum. Change the bag, filters and clean out the canisters so that the mold and mildew spores don't become airborne the next time you turn the machine on.

Clean the Carpet

Get a bucket and mix ½ cup borax with 1 gallon of hot water. Borax will kill the mold and mildew in the carpeting and prevent it from growing back.

Dip a scrub brush into the mixture and scrub the carpet using small circular motions. You want to work the mixture deep into the carpet to reach all of the spores.

Note: If the damage is extensive, you may need to peel the carpet back and clean the flooring underneath, the padding and the underside of the carpeting. Failure to do so could result in wicking stains after the carpet has dried.

Once you've completed the cleaning, dump and rinse the bucket. Refill it with fresh hot water and get a clean cloth. Soak the cloth and then wring it out well. Blot the area repeatedly to rinse the mixture out of the fibers. You may need to dump and replace the water several times as you complete this step.

Dry the Carpet

Now, you need to get the carpet as dry as possible. If you have a carpet scrubbing machine, you can use it to extract the moisture. If you don't, you can use a wet-dry vacuum to suck the moisture out. Once you've removed as much moisture as possible, set a fan in the area to blow on the carpeting. You can also use a dehumidifier to pull the moisture out of the carpeting.

If you aren't comfortable completing a task such as this, talk with a company like Steam  Local Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning.

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