Sometimes even a small source of an unpleasant odour is enough to spoil the atmosphere in the house. What can we say about a whole carpet that stinks of mould! Fortunately, this problem can be solved. Let’s take a look at how you can effectively remove mould and its odour from the carpet. You can also see how to remove candle wax from carpet here. Which of these proven carpet cleaning methods will you choose?

Mould in carpet: causes and consequences

What are the primary reasons for mould formation on carpet?

• Probably, the carpet was washed. The pile was soaked to the very bottom but did not dry out quickly enough. Normally, the drying time should not exceed several hours. If the carpet dries for more than a day, it is almost guaranteed to have mould.
• Had domestic carpet cleaning and have excessively wet the pile. It did not dry immediately or not entirely.

In such cases, in the thickness of the carpet, ideal conditions are created for the settlement and reproduction of mould. First, it infects the fibres of the base (as a rule, the humidity is higher there), then it gets to the pile. At first, you may not notice anything special. Then, you can smell a musty smell and dark spots appear.

Mould in the carpet is a mixed colony of various microscopic fungi, as well as putrefactive bacteria. They feed on fibres, gradually decomposing them. Hence, the unpleasant smell. Over time, if nothing is done, the microbes will “poison” the carpet so much that it begins to crumble and disintegrate right under your feet.

Mould is also dangerous for your health. It is capable of causing allergies, pneumonia, and intoxication. It all depends on how many germs have grown and how long you breathe this air. Nevertheless, it is not worth postponing the solution of the problem, because such carpet is a time bomb. More than 300 types of moulds have been proven to contain allergens. This is almost a guaranteed allergy for everyone who lives in the same room with mould!

The main rule for removing unpleasant odour

You don’t have to fight the smell; you have to destroy the mould. If you try to ventilate the carpet or spray it with fragrance, you will not solve the problem. Even a good wash and the use of effective sorbents will not help. If the fungus remains in the pile or base, the smell will return very quickly. Therefore, your first task is to destroy the mould itself. Only after complete disinfection of the product, you can begin to combat odour residues. This will give you the result you want – a clean, fresh and safe carpet.

How can mould be removed?

The most effective remedies against fungus are fungicides are made specifically for this purpose. It is these substances that are used to combat mould on various surfaces. They can also be selected for carpet processing. However, many people do not choose that option because these products are pesticides: all precautions must be taken and the manufacturer’s instructions must be followed exactly. Plus, they’re not cheap. Therefore, we provide effective carpet cleaning tips for removing mould using scrap materials.

These substances are safe and inexpensive, and they are easy to find:

• baking soda
• table vinegar
• iodine
• essential oils

Whichever cleaning product you choose, follow these tips:

Try the product on a small area of ​​the carpet before you apply it to the entire carpet. Clean the selected piece according to all the rules and wait until it dries. If the paints have not faded, have not darkened, the pile has not changed its structure, you can clean the rest of the area.

Be sure to dry the product well after cleaning. Otherwise, the mould will settle in the pile again, and all the work will be in vain. For drying, you can use all possible methods – turn on the fan, raise the air temperature in the room. Be sure to have good ventilation, as a closed room the moisture does not disappear anywhere.

In case of severe infection, it is worth treating not only the carpet but also the floor underneath it. It should also be well moistened with disinfectant solution and dried. Be careful – stains may appear on parquet, painted boards and even ceramic tiles from various solutions. Try on a small area first.

After work, discard or thoroughly disinfect containers and tools that were used. Otherwise, they will become new breeding grounds for mould and infect your home elsewhere.

It should also be understood that mould treatment is not cleaning in the full sense of the word. If the carpet was originally dirty, old stains and streaks will remain on it. In addition, mould particles, even dead ones, retain their allergenic properties. Therefore, it is recommended to use professional carpet cleaning services. Steam carpet cleaning is an excellent method for disinfecting the carpet, offered by many carpet cleaning London based companies.

What if an unpleasant smell remains?

With a strong infection, the fungus itself has already been destroyed, but its microparticles continue to emit a specific smell. What can be done in this case?

First, clean your carpet thoroughly if you haven’t already. After deep carpet cleaning, the mould particles should disappear.

Secondly, odour residues can be removed with sorbents. These are substances with good absorption capacity – like soda.

We take a lot of dry baking soda and scatter it in handfuls over the surface of the carpet. At the same time, you should not walk on it and you do not need to rub it with a brush, you just leave it until the next morning. Then we vacuum. If the smell persists, repeat the treatment again. For difficult cases, you can mix dry soda with borax, the ratio is about 1: 1.