Help! Mold!

Updated on August 07, 2008
S.H. asks from Bremen, IN
5 answers

I just found a mold spot on our carpet next to the couch. Looks to me like our window air conditioner leaked. There was a rag on it so I am thinking that my son found the moisture and decided to "help" mommy by soaking it up but since the rag was there it couldn't dry out. Now I am not sure what to do. I cleaned it with carpet cleaner but I am not sure if this is sufficient. Does anyone know if this is a common problem? Should I be as freaked out as I am? Looking for suggestions on how to clean it, how to sanitize my infant daughters toys that were dropped on it, and how to clean out the air conditioner (I looked in it and it's nasty-possibly more mold).

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So What Happened?

Thank you mama's for your advice! I was freaking out about this. We used the vinegar on our carpet and bleach to clean out the unit. Hopefully, this will take care of everything. God bless.

More Answers

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S.R.

answers from Toledo on

Hello S.. As for your toys, clean them with a bleech solution, either a cleaner with bleech or water and bleech (90% water, 10% bleech; that is what daycares use). I go to Dollar General and get their off brand of Bleech Cleaner, it works great. And when we had mold on our panneling walls, we used about a bottle spaying it and down in the trim and the mold didn't come back. Have you tried to shampoo your carpet, that might be a good starting point if you can't afford professional cleaners. If you shampoo, be sure to keep running the shampooer until the carpet is dry to the touch, then put a fan on it. As for your AC, un-plug it, leave it off for a good day so that it is dry, then take off the cover and clean it. However, I would NOT touch the coils. And use a bleech based cleaner like I suggested above. Best of Luck!

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T.M.

answers from Bloomington on

white vinegar works too, and it doesn't turn things white and is not toxic........ so thats what i use.

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N.S.

answers from Columbus on

My office flooded once and I had to call a mold specialist out to the office. They actually pulled up the carpet and pad and treated them with some type of mold prevention spray and dried the carpet with fans. I would check the phone book and call a specialist. Maybe they'll give you free advise over the phone or can direct you to a website.

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K.V.

answers from Indianapolis on

You have some serious issues going on there! If there is mold growing in your A/C, you are blowing that all through your house! That thing either needs thrown away or you need to get it cleaned out. Depending on how long the A/C was leaking, you may have mold growing on the underlayment underneath the padding and carpet. I'm not sure what toys you are talking about, but I would say if they just dropped on it and you washed them in HOT water and soap you should be ok. You may also have mold growing in/on the drywall underneath the window. You are right to be concerned. It is something that needs checked into.

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T.F.

answers from Cincinnati on

I freaked out when we moved into our house and my son was croupy all of the time. I was concerned about mold. I got in touch with a Milford company I happened to drive by...MTM Environmental. They came out for a few hours and tested each level of my home (basement, regular floor, and attic) and tested the outdoor air for comparison. My house actually tested lower than the norm-I was relieved. He was great at giving me ideas for keeping mold out of the bathroom, basement, etc. So, my advice would be to call them or a company like them if you are super concerned about mold in your home. They would probably give you pointers on a variety of things like they did for me. Good luck!
T. F.

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