How To Prevent Mold Under Carpet?

How To Prevent Mold Under Carpet? Have you noticed your carpet producing some foul dump smell or probably turning in color? Well, this could be a sign of mold growth under the carpet. As cold may cause the mold to grow under the carpet, it is good to note that other factors like; spillage can also result in mold growing under the carpet.

This article will discuss the significant causes of mold growth under the carpet and the measures you can take to prevent it.

What caused the growth of mold under the carpet?

Poor ventilation

If the house happens to have poor ventilation such that there is not much natural light and air flowing in the home, covered areas like under the carpet tend to grow mold. These are when you need a rug on the floor to keep your feet toasty. So, as usual, failure to probably air your carpet will harbor dampness.

Poorly dried carpet

If you happen to clean your carpet but don’t allow it to dry up entirely, be prepared to have mold forming on the carpet. Damp carpet provides a safe environment for mold spores to settle, which results in it growing on the mat.

Spillage left on the carpet

Any spillage be it water, milk, tea, or even food soup, can cause mold to grow under the carpet. If the moisture settles on the rug and does not get dried well or immediately, it would lead to mold growth in that place. Not only does such spillage cause the mold to grow, but it also causes the carpet to produce a very foul smell.

How to prevent mold under the carpet

The following are protective measures you can take to prevent mold from growing under the carpet;

Control the humidity of the house

Even if your house has good ventilation, you will need additional help, mainly at night when the windows are closed. This is where a humidifier comes in. Buy a humidifier and set it in rooms where there is high humidity. Most humidifiers can control the moisture in the air plus trap mold spores to prevent them from spreading in other areas of the room.

If your home has terrible ventilation, probably the house windows are not big enough; you may need to leave the humidifier running for a whole day. But, if there is good ventilation that can come from the windows, leave the windows open during the day and only close them at night. To conclude, it is good to make sure that your house has a humid level of between 30 to 60 percent.

Consider carpet padding

If your carpet does not have good padding and you are not planning to change it, how about you invest in good-quality padding? Most carpet paddings are made with solid rubber materials that do not absorb moisture.

This means that the padding will keep the carpet off the floor while ensuring no dampness can form due to cold. One thing to note is that carpet padding incredibly thick models are pretty expensive but worth it.

Let your carpet dry

If you want your carpet to be safe from any mold after cleaning, make sure to leave it to dry entirely outdoors. It would be best never to put back a rug that still has dampness since the cold also creates a suitable environment for the mold to grow when it comes to contact with the cold floors.

Always wipe off any moisture.

In the case where you accidentally pour water, beverage, or even food soup to your carpet, never let it settle. The moisture absorbs the underparts of the carpet, which results in mold growth. If the spillage is not too big, you need to clean the entire rug, spot clean it, and then dry the carpet outside.

Also, don’t allow the spillage to settle for too long; if possible clean it immediately to prevent the spillage from spreading to other parts.

Clean your house smart

The mold growth on your carpet could occur due to the water you pour into your house when cleaning other parts. If your living room does not have a carpet laid to the entire surface, you need to ensure you don’t pour a lot of water when cleaning other areas without a carpet. This is because water can easily flow to the carpeted area, and it would be hard to notice it.

The water absorbs into the carpet, hence resulting in mold growth.

Choose the right carpet

The areas which are prone to get moisture all the time, such as the bathroom or kitchen, should not be installed in moisture-absorbent carpets. Areas like inside the bathroom are best fit with rubber carpets since such carpets do not harbor moisture and are easy to dry. The same case goes for the kitchen.

Avoid putting carpets that are highly absorbent around the sink area as they can easily get exposed to the water when washing dishes.

How To Prevent Mold Under Carpet? – Conclusion

Knowing the causes of the growth of mold under the carpet and the proper measures to take is a huge step to keeping your home safe if you live in Singapore. Some reasons, such as having a poorly ventilated home, are inevitable, but if the mold growth is caused by excessive water in the floors, you need to control how you clean other parts of the floor.

Also, invest in good humidifiers to use when the climates are cold and also make sure to keep your carpet dry. If you have small kids, let them eat or drink at the dining area instead of eating while seated on the rug to avoid spillage. Lastly, occasionally take your carpet out to air.