After installing beautiful new carpeting in your house, a slow leak coming from the side of the home started pooling under the carpet and on the floorboards, and you only realized this when walking across the rug that felt slightly wet. When you vacuum the carpet, water collects in the canister, and there is a musty smell in the room. You decide to pull the rug up to have a closer look and what you find are dark green spots deep in the carpet and floorboards, and it has a potent moldy smell. Because the carpet is relatively new, you don’t want to tear it out and replace it. So can a moldy carpet be saved?
You can use a carpet brush with some water with vinegar and baking soda to get rid of the suspected mold. You will need to dry the carpet out, preferably with hot air, and the floorboards underneath the carpet will also need to be disinfected and dried. But getting the floorboards and carpet will need to be tested to make sure that it is mold.
Home mold testing
Your carpet needs to be tested for mold; if you see signs of what appears like mold, to know what type of mold it is. Knowing the mold type will help you treat the problem correctly and safely. Use a cotton swab to get a sample by placing the tip inside the carpet hair, twisting the swab in the carpet, and rubbing it over the stains on the floorboards with a different cotton swab. Place the swabs in a separate sandwich bag and label each with a number and location.
Mold air testing
If you want to gather more data on the mold in the home, use an electric mold pump in conjunction with the swab test. The electric pump can be calibrated to capture a large number of different mold spore colonies.
Mold testing lab near me
You will probably not be able to test the samples yourself for mold; in that case, you will need to engage the services of a mold testing lab. They will examine your pieces using Phase Contrast Microscopy, and the results should reveal the type of mold, the spore count, and a glossary of fungi. To find a local mold testing lab, type in “mold testing lab near me” in your internet browser, and you should see some companies in your area. There are also mold testing labs that accept mail-in samples.
Same day mold testing
In case of an emergency, you need to know if the suspected material is mold and what kind it is. In that case, find a mold testing lab that offers same-day mold testing. 5 Microns Inc offers same-day mold testing. We offer affordable pricing with easy-to-understand detailed reports, and they also include our recommendations. We are available Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free estimate or with any questions.
