Housekeeping Channel - For the Home You Keep. The Resource for Better, Faster, Healthier Housekeeping.

Some help from our friends...

Find DfE Recognized Products Learn About Cleaning Science Find a Certified Professional Free Cleaning Checklist Learn About Healthy Homes from NEHA ISSA Consumer Cleaning Resources Find CRI Certified Vacuums & Carpet Cleaning Products Visit the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Blog

Clean Green with Dry Steam

Explore

Mold

Clean, Dry Carpet Won't Grow Mold

By The Carpet and Rug Institute

Categories: Green Cleaning, Home Improvement, Carpets & Flooring, Health & Safety
Tagged: Carpet And Rug Institute, Carpet Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning Machines, Carpet Extractors, Health, Mold

Options

Email to a Friend

Bookmark

Tagged As

Clean and dry carpet does not promote mold growth. In fact, you have to really work hard to grow mold on carpet. With the exception of wool, carpet fibers are synthetic and cannot serve as food for mold.

article continues below ↓

However, mold grows in any moist environment where dirt and dust provide nutrients. If carpet is not properly cleaned and dried, and is exposed to excess moisture, it will grow mold just as will grouted tile or vinyl shower curtains.

Remember the formula: Clean + Dry Carpet = No Mold

What can you do to "mold-proof" your carpet? Stated simply: Keep it clean and dry.

Cleaning Carpet for Mold Prevention

Improve your indoor air quality

Do you have allergies? Believe it or not, you can keep your carpet. Studies have shown that carpet is often better at trapping allergens than hard flooring such as tile or hardwood. How can this be? Particles and allergens fall to the floor (out of the breathing zone) and onto the carpet. The fibers of the carpet trap allergens and particles, reducing their continued circulation in the air. Proper cleaning with a CRI-approved vacuum effectively sucks up the dust in the carpet, locks it in the machine, and keeps it out of the air.

Allergic to carpet itself? Not likely. Most of today’s carpet is made from plastic fibers, which most people are not allergic to. Of course, if you have wool carpet and are allergic to wool, you might have a problem. In that case, you would remove the wool carpet and not buy a new one, just as you wouldn’t buy wool sweaters.

Vacuum slowly and thoroughly with a CRI-approved vacuum cleaner to remove organic dirt and dust, the food source for mold.
If you use do-it-yourself (DIY) carpet cleaning equipment, use a machine approved by CRI that removes maximum moisture.
Use a CRI Seal of Approval (SOA) cleaning solution.
Be patient and don’t over-wet the carpet. Extract as much of the water as possible — do not rush this step.
Wait until the carpet dries before replacing furniture or walking on carpet. This may take up to 12 hours, most typically six to eight.
Ventilate. Open windows if outdoor weather conditions (temperature, humidity) permit, or put the AC on moderate settings (72-78°F). Never close up a wet, newly cleaned carpet; keep air circulating. You want the fastest dry possible, to prevent mold growth and to allow earlier use.
Hire a professional CRI SOA Service Provider to periodically deep clean your carpet.

Disclaimer ↓

The Housekeeping Channel (HC), a for-profit educational LLC, provides the information on HousekeepingChannel.com as a free service to the public. The intent is to disseminate accurate, verified and science-based information on cleaning and housekeeping.

While an effort is made to ensure the quality of the content and credibility of sources listed on this site, HC provides no warranty - expressed or implied - and assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed on or in conjunction with the site. The views and opinions of the authors or originators expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of HC: its principals, executives, Board members, advisors or affiliates.

Clean, Dry Carpet Won't Grow Mold: Created on February 4th, 2011. Last Modified on March 2nd, 2011

About The Carpet and Rug Institute

The Carpet and Rug Institute, headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, is the national trade association for the carpet and rug industry. Its members are manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers, representing over 90% of all carpet produced in the United States. CRI is the source for science-based information and insight into how carpet and rugs can create a better environment — for living, working, learning and healing. For more information, visit the CRI Blog.