Vacation End With A Flooded Home? Here's How To Clean The Mold That Might Be Lurking In The Carpet
Did you come home from vacation to find that you'd had a flood while you were gone? You might not realize this, but mold could have started growing in the carpeting. You're going to need to work fast to prevent mold from taking over. Here's a step-by-step guide to killing the mold that might have started growing underneath your carpeting.
Prepare The Room
Before you remove the carpeting, you'll need to prepare the room. You'll want to prevent mold spores from finding their way into your home's ventilation system. Close the windows, and seal the air ducts with plastic sheeting. Once the room has been sealed, you'll be ready to remove the carpeting.
Remove The Carpeting
If the carpeting has dried out already, you'll want to moisten it to control the mold spores. Fill a garden sprayer with water and lightly spray the surface of your carpeting. Once it's damp, you'll want to roll the carpeting up and wrap it in plastic sheeting. You'll be able to remove it from the room once it's sealed in the plastic sheeting.
Clean The Sub-Floor
Now that the carpeting has been removed, you'll want to clean the sub-floor to remove the mold. Using a shop vac, vacuum the entire floor to remove dirt, debris and visible mold. Once the floor has been vacuumed, you'll be ready to sanitize the floor and kill the mold.
Directions
- Fill a garden sprayer with hot water.
- Add 2 cups of bleach.
- Open the windows in the room for ventilation.
- Spray the floors with your bleach solution and allow them to air dry.
Scrub The Walls
Once you have your sub-floors cleaned, it will be time to move on to the walls. Inspect your walls for visible signs of mold growth, especially along the edges of your baseboards. If you can see visible mold growth, you'll need to clean your walls to remove the mold. Spray your bleach solution on your walls and scrub them with a soft brush. Allow them to air dry to kill the mold spores. You should also remove the baseboards and inspect for water damage. If the wood is damp, spray it with the bleach solution and allow it to dry before you replace the baseboards.
A flood in your home doesn't just make things wet. It can lead to damage that might not be noticeable at first. If you've had a flood in your home, you need to take care of the damage as soon as possible. These steps will help you take care of the mold that might have started growing under your carpeting.
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