How to Get Mold Out of Your Carpet
Mold in your carpet can cause health issues for your household and damage to the surface it grows on. Here are some of the best cleaning tips for it.
Written by Abbey Orzech
Reviewed by Melanie Reiff
To get mold out of your carpet, you’ll need a bristle brush, disposable rags, carpet-safe anti-fungal spray, and personal protective gear.
Mold in your carpets can grow quickly and lead to severe asthma, allergies, and even bronchitis. If you spot it growing, it's important to act fast to get the mold out of your carpet or remove the carpet from your home.
If you’ve started smelling something dank and musty around your home, it’s possible that a mold colony is growing nearby. Often found in bathrooms or other places exposed to moisture, mold growth can be a real problem in your home.
Here with a guide on how to get mold out of your carpet is
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Tools you will need to get mold out of your carpet
Before heading into mold battle, you need to be armed with the correct tools. The last thing you want is to spread the mold spores to new places or not reach all of it and allow it to grow again.
If you want to get mold out of your carpet, here’s what you’ll need:
- A stiff-bristled brush for scraping and sweeping up as much of the mold as you can before going in with other products
- Disposable rags or paper towels for blotting excess moisture
- A dustpan, where the dry mold will go for disposal
- Trash bags to dispose of the mold and disposable rags
- Carpet-safe anti-fungal spray, which speaks for itself
- A dehumidifier; mold thrives in moisture, which you’ll want to reduce in your space
- Safety gear, like a face mask, gloves, and eyewear. Avoid coming into direct contact with the mold, as this can cause health issues
Once your battle gear is assembled, we can get into the steps you’ll take to get mold out of your carpet.
How to get mold out of carpet
Returning your carpet to a mold-free state can be difficult due to mold’s ability to fit and hide in the tiniest inner fibers.
Getting mold out
of your carpet will require vigilant cleaning and at least one month of supervision afterward to ensure the mold is not growing back. It’s worth noting that moldy areas exceeding 10 square feet should be treated by a professional.
Follow these steps to return to moldless bliss:
Step 1: Ventilate the area
Before cleaning, it’s important to ventilate the space where the mold is growing. Open any windows in the room and close the area off to the rest of the home, if possible.
If the problem is in a bathroom with a bath fan, you can turn the fan on for extra ventilation.
If you spotted the mold on a removable rug, don your safety gear and place the rug outside so it can fresh air out.
Step 2: Treat the affected area
While wearing your face mask, gloves, and eyewear, use your stiff-bristle brush to scrape at the dry mold and deposit it into your dustpan.
If you’re dealing with an area of your laid-down carpet, it’s a good idea to pull it up if possible so you can treat the underlay or carpet pad too. It’s likely that whatever padding is under the carpet is also infected with mold. Once you’ve scraped up all you can, immediately dispose of it in your trash bag.
Grab your carpet-safe anti-fungal spray and thoroughly saturate the area where the mold is and at least a six-inch perimeter around that. Let that marinate for one hour.
When that time is up, use your disposable rag or paper towel to blot up the excess spray and let the area dry for at least 24 hours. It is recommended that you don’t use fans that could spray the mold spores around any further—instead, close the windows, turn on your dehumidifier, and turn up the heat. Make sure no one crosses that area for the full dry-time.
Step 3: Clean your tools
While the anti-fungal spray is working its magic, dispose of your safety gear and blotting rag and take the mold trash out. Use hot soapy water to thoroughly clean your stiff-bristle brush and dustpan, then treat them with the anti-fungal spray.
Step 4: Repeat anti-fungal spray treatment
This double-duty will offer you more protection against mold re-growth. Repeat steps 2 and 3 including saturation, blotting, drying time, and clean-up.
Step 5: Check for re-growth
Once you’ve carefully cleaned the carpet and hopefully banished the mold for good, you’ll need to keep an eye on the area for at least the next month.
Check the spot every few days for signs of new mold growth, like little off-white spots or a musty smell.
If you’re still finding or smelling mold after your intensive cleaning and check-ups, it may be time to remove and replace the carpet.
Key Takeaway You can get mold out of your carpet by ventilating the space, treating the moldy area with anti-fungal spray, and checking the spot for re-growth for at least one month.
How mold grows
Mold is a fungus that spreads by releasing spores that travel through the air and love to settle in moisture-retaining places like carpets, rugs, and even unsealed walls (think drywall or unfinished woods).
This fungus can spread and grow rapidly, meaning you could have a mold problem on your hands in just a few days after it enters an area.
You can spot mold growing by keeping an eye out for small white, gray, or green splotches around an area that is or has been exposed to moisture. You can also sniff it out—mold has quite a musty odor—but as this fungus can cause respiratory issues like allergies and asthma, we don’t recommend this method.
How to prevent mold from growing in your carpet
No one wants to see (or smell) mold growing in their homes. The best way to prevent mold accumulation is to decrease the amount of moisture your carpets, rugs, or wood floors are exposed to.
If you’re a plant parent, get a moisture-barrier mat to place in between potted plants and your carpet or wood floors. If any kind of liquid spills on your floors, be sure to clean it up immediately and let the area dry completely.
It’s also a good idea to perform regular checks around your house for any leaky plumbing, particularly in the places less traveled by, that is causing an excess of moisture.
Dehumidifiers are a great investment, especially if you live in a humid climate!
Ultimately, mold thrives in wetness so your best defense is reduced moisture and proper ventilation that moves out stagnant, humid air.
Does homeowners insurance cover mold removal?
Generally, mold is seen as preventable or “wear and tear,” which won’t be covered by your insurance. But if the
mold accumulated
as a direct result of something like that is covered in your insurance policy, its removal may be covered. Check out your policy’s list of perils to see what qualifies. How to find affordable home insurance
If your mold problem gets to the point that you’re looking at an entire carpet replacement, you’ll probably want to cut costs on home expenses where you can.
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Can moldy carpet be saved?
Yes it can! However, it is a long and sometimes quite difficult process to remove all present mold, so it may be a better move to just replace the carpet.
Does vinegar kill mold in carpet?
Vinegar can kill most types of mold, so probably. It can also help you to get rid of that musty odor—mix it with baking soda and scrub the paste into the moldy area to take care of the smell.
How do you get black mold out of carpet?
You can remove black mold from your carpet by following the steps above, but be sure to wear all appropriate safety gear and be diligent about cleaning your tools afterward. Black mold is especially toxic.
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