Whenever working with mold and mildew, you should always wear protective gear. Don't touch mold or moldy items with your bare hands. Always wear gloves that cover up to the middle of your forearm. Non-ventilated goggles, are a must to keep mold and mold spores from getting into your eyes.
The first step in cleaning up moldy areas is to find the source of excess moisture and water. Look for any roof or plumbing leaks or flood damage that still needs repair. Check the air ducts in your home for mold as heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems can spread mold throughout the rest of your home. Complete this step first.
Next, determine if the area of mold growth is small enough that you can remediate it yourself or if you should hire a mold remediator. If the area of mold growth is more than 1 to 10 square feet, you should definitely hire a pro. When looking for a specialist in carpet and rug cleaning, make sure that they specialize in dealing with mold problems.
The final step, is to begin the cleaning process. A very small area on a carpet can be cleaned with a simple solution of detergent and water in a steam-cleaning machine. Wet the surface and suck up the water, repeat until the water starts coming out clear. If detergent and water doesn’t work try some Molderizer or some other organic mold cleaner.
Another method to try is quite a bit more extensive. You can use a sanitizing agent such as hypochlorite, or household bleach. The solution is made with 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. This solution can be used on hard surfaces as well as carpets and rugs. To be effective the solution must remain on the surface for 15 minutes. For indoor or outdoor carpeting and rugs you must remove them from the home and place them on a flat area outside. Hose both sides thoroughly to remove dirt and soil. Dump several buckets of the bleach solution on each side and scrub with a broom. A better solution would be repeatedly scrubbing the carpeting with Borax laundry detergent [a natural mold cleaner] mixed into warm water. You need to scrub both sides of carpeting and padding in the mold-growth areas. Rinse well, and remove as much water as possible with a wet/dry vacuum. Allow the carpet to dry thoroughly.
Always dry the area completely by opening all windows, using a heater, fan, or dehumidifier. This is very important, or the mold will just grow back. Remember to check for colorfastness in an inconspicuous area 24 hours before doing a complete carpet cleaning.
It is a good idea to know what kind of flooring is under your carpet. If it is something that will be ruined by wetting the floor, even for a short time, you might want to reconsider or be very careful not to use very much water.
Materials, such as carpets and rugs, may have to be thrown away if they become too moldy. Mold grows in the spaces and crevices of porous materials and can keep growing back. It may be difficult, if not impossible to remove. Replacing carpet may be the only way that you can guarantee that mold will not still grow in the area.
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