Preventing Carpet Mould
Every carpet owner dreads getting mould. Not only is it nasty to look at, but it also very difficult to remove. In fact, by the time it becomes a full-blown infestation, you’re probably better off tossing the whole thing away and buying a new carpet. The fact that mould tends to first pop up in the carpet backing, pitching root and spreading even before you know it’s there, only makes things worse.
You don’t have to let things get so out of hand. Let’s delve into how you can protect your carpet from getting mould infestations.
The Dirt & Humidity Factor
Damp areas are prime real estate for carpet mould – which is one of the reasons homeowners shy away from installing the carpets in their basements. Such areas witness high levels of humidity, which is an issue that affects more than just the carpets, extending to installations like wood flooring. However, humidity is not the only factor.
Dirt is actually a huge contributor to mould growth. When you take a dirty and clean carpet, and subject them both to the same levels of moisture, the dirty ones will have a much higher build-up of mould. The clean carpets feature a higher resistance to mould in the humid conditions. Why does dirt fuel the fungi? This is primarily for two reasons: Firstly, there are mould spores in the dirt, and all they need is a suitable environment to grow. Secondly, the dirt actually contains moisture, which when combined with the rest of the humidity in the room, encourages the mould to flourish. This is made worse by the hygroscopic nature of the dirt. This means that it will readily soak up the moisture from its surrounding, which further adds to your troubles.
Keeping Mould Off Your Carpet
There are measures you can put in place to prevent these infestations in your installation. These include:
- Keeping humidity levels low
This can be achieved by using a dehumidifier, or at least ensuring that there is sufficient airflow in the different rooms by opening the doors and windows. Keeping the relative humidity below 65% will discourage the growth of mould in your carpet.
- Maintain temperatures at below 80°F.
Here, you can use a portable air conditioner or work with a central AC unit that cuts costs by lowering the humidity levels while cooling the air at the same time.
- Maintain a stringent carpet cleaning program
This cuts across the board, from the spot cleaning to deal with the occasional spills that mess up the carpet, weekly vacuuming to reduce the build-up of spores in the fibres of the material, to routine deep carpet cleaning where it is recommended that you get professional help for the task.
The choice of carpet also comes into focus. Here, organic materials like wool tend to be more prone to growth of mould compared to the synthetic materials like olefin and nylon. However, given that more consideration goes into the material selection, such as the comfort levels and aesthetics, this will boil down to individual preference. After all, your ideal carpet can’t be just limited to whether or not it will encourage mould growth. Should you get the natural fibre units, you’ll need to be more keen on the carpet cleaning.
Avoid The Risks Of DIY Carpet Cleaning
One of the common ways that mould ends up growing in carpets is because of the overwetting that occurs during DIY cleaning. Here, whether it is in a bid to flush out the soiling buried in the carpet, or simply an oversight in the amount of cleaning solution required, the DIYer ends up leaving the material with too much moisture that it takes days to dry. This allows fungi to pitch root in the fibres of the unit, and the mould flourishes. But don’t the professionals also use systems that have loads of water? While this the case for processes like hot water extraction the professional carpet cleaners have an additional setup that is used: high-powered wet vacuums. These remove the bulk of the moisture from the carpet, in fact so much that the carpet is left just slightly damp to the touch. This allows it to dry within a few hours after the carpet cleaning has been carried out, thus preventing the mould growth.
Overwetting does more than bring the threat of fungi developing in your carpet. Depending on the material being worked on, it can lead to issues like shrinkage of the carpet, colour bleeding where those dyes that the carpet have been treated with get leached off, all through to delamination, where the unit separates from its backing – all of which will ruin your carpet, and in many of the cases require a whole new unit to be purchased. These are not the risks you want to expose your carpet to. Get the cleaning done right by calling in the professionals, who will ensure that your carpet receives the quality care it deserves.
Looking to have your carpet cleaned safely? We’re here for you. Our trained crew, who also have years of experience, will carry out the task diligently while using processes that will be safe for your particular type of carpet. We have invested heavily in their professional development to keep them up to date with the latest advancements in the carpet cleaning technologies, and also equipped them with state-of-the-art cleaning and extraction gear, that allows them to deliver on even those tough cleaning jobs, bringing back the elegance to the installation. All this is down without putting a strain on your wallet, given that the pricing of our services will be structured to suit your particular needs.
Our friendly crew will be sure to answer any questions that you have about the process, and will be respectful of your home, treating it with care as though it were their own. Any issues in the residence that may be posing a risk to your carpet’s life and structural integrity will be brought to your attention, that way arrangements can be made to have the issue resolved and avoid costly repairs and replacements later on.
