Questions & answers on what to do with wet or mold-contaminated carpets or rugs.

This article series describes how we inspect, test, and cure wet, smelly, or moldy carpeting or rugs. We discuss the risk of hidden mold under carpeting and in carpet padding and in walls around such floors.

Q&A: What to Do With Wet, Sewage- or Mold-Contaminated Carpets

These questions & answers about wet, moldy or sewage-backup contaminated carpets or area rugs were posted originally at CARPET MOLD / ODOR TESTS - be sure to review the advice found there.

On 2018-06-17b y Beka - sewage backup - is it toxic?

Under the wet carpet and pads I found this located from a bad drainage and waste water over flow. Is it mold or toxic waste?

On 2018-06-17 by (mod) - sewage overflowed onto carpet

Broke

The photos of big blurry I can't quite tell what we're seeing,

Watch out: but in any event if sewage or waste water overflowed onto a carpet there is a bacterial Hazard as well as a mold Hazard.

The carpet needs to be removed and disposed of and the exposed floor surfaces cleaned and sanitized.

If water also flowed into the bottom of the wall cavities those need to be opened and inspected and if necessary cleaned and sanitized.

On 2018-05-12 by Don Fisher - I suspect my carpet has some type of bacteria

I suspect my carpet has some type of bacteria in it that I cannot see.

My four year old daughter gets sick twice a month since we moved here and before she never got sick this often. I need to find a company that can test the carpet for allergens, bacteria, and mold.

On 2018-05-12 by (mod)

At the top of any InspectApedia page you'll find a link to an expert's directory where you can find most test Consultants or you can simply use our on-page search box to find

MOLD TEST

or ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

or

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS

in your immediate town. I'm not sure that I would trust such a distance is not likely to be comprehensive for the whole area of carpet.

Really? Considering the costs of expert inspection, testing, and investigation, I might just remove the carpet and its padding.

On 2018-03-19 by Sherry - son peed on carpet - can cause mold

My son slept on the floor in his room and urinated in his sleep all over the carpet. Could that cause mold?

On 2018-03-19 by (mod)

It seems possible, particularly if the area remained wet though the chemistry of urine may not, at least initially, be very mold friendly.

Bacterial growth is more likely.

On 2017-04-23 by Rose Chumacero - carpet was soaked for over a week = mildew risk?

Hi I've had an on going problem

With my a sec or my carpet soaking up due to leaking pipe from bath tub it's happened a few times in several different occasions.

Last time I reported it to apt manager and maintenance never showed while I was out of town as promised returning to a bigger portion of my carpet soaked and the smell of mildew immediately calling Emergency maintenance still nothing until2 days later .

carpet was soaked for about a week1/2 after supposedly fixing problem carpet cleaning services were performed on the carpet.. I can't help but to think that underneath the carpet is covered of mold and mildew my question is will a sanitized shampooing remove any mold or mildew if any underneath?

After drying the smell return

On 2017-04-23 by (mod)

Rose

There is no mildew in carpets, only true mold. Mildew is an obligate parasitic mold sub-family that grows only on living plants.
That technical remark made, if the carpet is moldy it and its padding need to be replaced. Sanitizing and shampooing are not effective remedies, as confirmed by your own experience.

Question: I want to prove that our carpet in the basement has mold

(Dec 3, 2014) Katie said:
I want to prove that our carpet in the basement has mold. The carpet is old. Previous owner let her wet dogs in the house through the basement and it just smells musty and nasty. The carpet also is sticky even after shampooing it several times.

I bought a mold testing kit from Home depot, but don't know how to go about getting a sample since the it seems that carpet is glued at all the edges to the cement floor!
Please help we have two young kids and my husband is stubborn and won't do anything without proof that it is moldy!

Reply:

Since 90% of molds won't grow on any culture whatsoever, if that's your test kit you might miss mold in the carpet. You'd want to vaccum-sample the carpet and have the particles examined for best results. Any forensic lab or particle identification lab should be able to help with particles. There are separate (expensive) tests for MVOCs. Or if the carpet is as horrible as you describe, not much is lost in cutting a sample and sending that to a lab - both carpet and its padding.

I'd add that there could be bacterial hazards, dust mite hazards, dog dander allergen hazrards for those sensitive to them or who are asthmatic, and so on.

But don't get me in between you and your husband on this one. My partner would just wait until I was out getting soused, put on a HEPA filter mask, rip up the carpet and toss it into the trash, mop and sanitize the floor, and on my return home she'd say - so Honey, what sort of new flooring would you like to put down over the concrete in the basement?

...

Continue reading at CARPET MOLD / ODOR TESTS - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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