Felecia Coleman
Moisture damage and its related mold growth can cause stress and serious damage in your home. As such, it is essential that you handle it properly to prevent adverse health effects in your family. Here are some recommendations to help you clean up carpeting after you discover mold growth.
Clean Up Affected Areas
One of the most important parts of cleaning up after mold growth is recognizing the problem within the carpeting. Mold growth can hide within the backing of the carpet where you won't notice it. For example, mold growth can create a musty smell that permeates the room when there is mold growth in the carpet. It can also smell earthy and have the odor of mildew, so be sure to keep your nose on the alert. Watch for wet spots in your carpeting and stains that can consist of mold discoloration.
Some carpeting that is attached to your floors and extends wall-to-wall is not easy to clean of mold, so you will need to replace it. However, smaller areas of carpet can be cleaned professionally, especially with a high-temperature steam cleaning process. The high temperature of the steam kills the mold spores and pulls them from the carpeting. A mold remediation company can also use mold removal cleaning solutions to clean the carpeting and restore it.
You can also use your own household supplies to clean the mold. For example, full-strength vinegar is a safe option to treat your carpet and destroy the mold spores. Just be sure you follow up with a carpet cleaning process and dry the area thoroughly to prevent the mold from returning.
Use Follow-Up Prevention
Once you have your home carpet free of mold growth, you need to be diligent to keep the mold growth from returning. You may want to install an air filter to continuously remove impurities and mold spores from the air of your home. This minimizes the chance of mold growth by reducing the number of spores that are free-floating through your home and that land on your home's surfaces and carpet.
You can also use a dehumidifier in your home, especially if the air outside is humid and if you encounter water leaks inside your home. When you clean your carpets, be sure your carpet cleaning professional uses a steam cleaning process and a carpet extraction process that fully removes moisture. This will pull excess water from the air in your home and prevent the potential for mold growth. For more information, contact a residential mold removal service.
How many hours do you spend cleaning your home each week? Do you find it difficult to get to those difficult areas, like the bathrooms, as often as they need to be done? Have you considered hiring a cleaning service to come out and help you get the work done? I had never thought that I would be able to afford to hire a cleaning service, but my mother bought me a year's service for a Christmas gift. After that year, I hired the company on to come out and do just the three bathrooms and my kitchen once each week. To find out how you can schedule cleaning services to suit your personal needs, keep reading.