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How To Prevent Carpet Mold After Water Damage

How To Prevent Carpet Mold After Water Damage

From small leaks to floods, any kind of water damage can lead to mold. This doesn’t need much encouragement, some moisture, dark and damp conditions would cause an outbreak anywhere in your home. You can identify the presence of the fungus by its characteristic smell.

Damp carpets can create a ripe environment for mold to thrive underneath it. It’s best to deal with the problem as soon as possible.

Carpet Mold Prevention Steps

1. Remove Water Promptly

No matter how the water enters your home, it’s best to remove it quickly. You also need to be thorough with it. Use a wet or dry vacuum to soak up as much water as possible from the carpet. You can rent this device from different companies that focus on repairing water damage.

2. Dry Quickly

Once you’ve removed the excess water, you need to dry the carpet, the underlay, and the floor beneath it. You can do this by directing fans towards the water damaged area. This can take several days, but the end result is a completely dry room which is essential to discourage mold. You can rent high-powered drying fans to ensure your room is dry as quickly as possible.

3. Try Using a Dehumidifier

Sometimes, fans don’t work well as moisture can linger in the air. By using a dehumidifier, you can reduce moisture in the air and eventually in the floors as well. The device also cools the air, creating conditions that are unfavorable for the growth of mold.

4. Steam-Cleaning

Steam is hot enough to help mold removal and properly sanitize the carpets. The carpet underlay should be replaced. There’s no use trying to salvage it. Replacing the padding would be less expensive than replacing the entire carpet.

5. Sanitize the Floor

You need to sanitize every portion of your home that’s been touched by the water, including the floors. You can clean all hard surfaces, including walls, floors, countertops, etc, with soap and water. After that, you need to clean them with bleach. A 1.5 cup of chlorine bleach in a bucketful water should be enough to get rid of all the germs and the mold.

6. A Final Inspection

Check the dried carpet for that distinctive musty smell, move the furniture, check all corners to make sure that you’ve addressed the problem completely.

It’s very important to take preventive measures immediately after flooding or leaks. That way, you won’t have to worry about the health problems that can come along with it. If all else fails, call a professional carpet cleaner or water restoration company.

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