How Do You Find Mold In Carpet? Mold is much more dangerous than people realize. Everyone knows that the green mold on food can make you sick, but what about the mold that appears elsewhere in the house? Surely a little mold on the ceiling above the shower, on the door, or in the carpet isn’t all that bad. That’s harmless right? It makes you feel a little sick at times, but what can it possibly do past that? Surprisingly, when left alone to grow out of control, it can be deadly.
A Tragic Story Due to Mold Although it often cannot be singled out as the number one cause of death, it has been implicated on several occasions. Actress Brittany Murphy and her husband died a few years ago under the strong suspicion that mold in their LA mansion was involved. Experts investigated the deaths of two children in mold ridden homes in Arizona back in the early 2000’s. They listed the vile growth as the likely cause. It is a nasty substance that grows on rotting, biological material. It serves a very natural purpose in nature, but performs a deadly work in closed quarters. Your carpet is often made of organic material that is just as susceptible to mold and mildew as wood, food, or tubs. Being able to identify it early can save you a lot of grief in the days to come.
How to Identify Mold You can identify mold in a couple of ways. First, and the least likely, you will see it growing under your feet. More often than not, it doesn’t show a cosmetic sign on the upper surface. If it does though, it can be characterized by a darker stain. The stain may be accompanied by a moldy smell. That smell can also be evidence of an infestation growing. You can confirm its identity from the backside. Check underneath your carpet by pulling at the corner with needle nose pliers.
Mold is Associated with Mildew Second, identification is often associated as mildew. Should the carpet smell, or discolor like mildew, it is often a sign of mold underneath.
Third, if your carpet has been wet for 24 to 48 hours without drying, than your carpet is likely molding underneath. You should check to be sure.
Contact an Expert Fourth, if you suspect you are finding growth in your carpet but want a second opinion, you can take a sample and send it off for analysis by an expert. Taking the sample yourself means taking a strong piece of tape and applying it directly to the growth to catch the spores, then sending it to a lab. You can also contact a specialist to come take a sample for you. Once your results are in, and if the surface has tested positive, it will be time to start looking for new carpet. Cleaning carpet hasn’t proven effective in most cases. Carpeting is porous by nature. Mold can find its ways into all the little crevices and find firm holds where chemicals and brushes cannot hurt it. All it needs is a few surviving spores to start the process all over again. The best thing to do to fix this problem is to replace it entirely. The next thing to do is to find the source of the problem and work to remove it, i.e. leaky pipes, excessive humidity, etc. Michael’s Professional Carpet Cleaning does carpet cleaning in Sammamish. They can help cleanse your carpet to its original state and identify mold you may not have seen. Photo Credit: 1. http://floodedbasementcleanupservice.wikispaces.com/Smithtown+Flooded+Basement+Water +Extraction+Company 2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/frederickmdrocks/5106447055/