This was the exact question I got from my friend on a call. Cynthia, what does mold smell like? He said. At this stage, you should know that taking care of your home or floor isn’t limited to its good looks, a lot of factors still come into play and mold growth isn’t one to be ignored. The best maintenance isn’t just it looks but also taking preventive actions against the presence of mold.
Have you recently found yourself noticing strange smells in your home? They are far from the usual dirty laundry smell or dirty dishes in the kitchen, there’s something different about this smell. This could be a sign that you have mold growing somewhere in your home. This smell shouldn’t be overlooked as it can pose a threat to your health and those living with you, your pets aren’t excluded.
Molds results from moisture or water damage which isn’t properly looked into, living in dense areas or areas lacking the sun’s penetration can also result in the growth of mold.
What is Mold
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Mold is a growth found on walls, flooring, and other home amenities, these growth cause damage due to its penetration into the surface it’s growing on. They have over a hundred thousand types and they grow mostly in a warm, damp and dark environment. These areas include the surface of walls, under carpets and behind drywalls
What Does Mold Smell Like?
It is often described as a musty smell and it’s usually noticed before the presence of mold, others described mold smelling like rotten wood, wet socks or even an earthy smell. Most of all, mold has an unpleasant and pungent smell. While every home has its unique smell, mold is the major factor that makes you detect a change of smell in your home. As this mold grows, it emits a gas called microbial volatile organic compounds or MVOC’s.
What Does Mold Smell Like In Carpet?
Mold smell from a carpet can be easily detected, it makes your home smell bad and can cause health problems. Mold in carpet smells musty or like wet socks and if you notice such smell in your carpet, try as much as possible to clean it before it spreads. Go close to your carpet and see what it looks like, look under the carpet because mold grows underneath the carpet before it gets to the top, check for any black, green or white growth. If you spot them, then you have mold growth on your carpet.
Reaction To Molds
Many have allergic reactions to mold. Do you feel better when at the office or away from home, but notice allergic reactions whenever at home? If you’re suffering from allergies while at home, then there’s a strong indication that you have mold hiding somewhere in your home.
These reactions include eye irritation, respiratory problem, skin irritation, nose and throat irritation, aches and pains, headaches, dry coughs, and sneezing. Mold affects the quality air of your home leading to these symptoms, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms above when at home, don’t relax, take action immediately.
How To Prevent Growth Of Mold
To prevent the growth of mold, try as much as possible to keep your house free from wet or damp materials. Don’t leave wet laundry in your house, sweaty clothes should be in the washer and must be separated from a dry cloth. Generally make sure you keep all your surfaces dry, such as your couch and carpet.
If you’re looking for a tool that easy gets rid of mold from your home, we’ve written a detailed review on BEST Mold Foggers. Do check it out.
Mold grows in the dark, so leaving the light in your house on, molds won’t have any chance to grow in your home. It’s a good option but if you are serious about conserving energy then this may not be realistic.
Ventilation is the best way to eliminate moisture in the air and reduce the chance of mold growth in your home. Ensure to leave your home open when possible and frequent use of fan on problematic wet areas will help too. Always inspect for mold and keep the humidity down in your home using a humidifier.
When steam cleaning your couch or wherever you are steam cleaning, ensure to dry that area, a dry home doesn’t give a chance for mold growth.
How To Get Rid Of Mold
First of all, a pair of glove and respirator masks are recommended to ensure you don’t come in contact with the mold or inhale the mold spores. To get rid of mold, you will need bleach, a bowl of water, vacuum, wire brush and a plastic bag for collection and disposal of the mold.
Use the wire brush to scrub the loose mold spore from the surface, use the plastic bag to collect the mold and dispose of it immediately. Then vacuum the entire room against any loose mold spores, to avoid it from floating around in the room or any other area of the house.
Mix a considerable amount of bleach into the bowl of water, use the solution to clean the area. Most importantly, ensure the area is dry before rinsing it off with water. A dry surface doesn’t attract mold growth but a damp surface does allow more mold to grow.
Once you’re done cleaning, ensure to properly dispose of any item that comes in contact with molds, such as a sponge, scrub brushes and rags.
Read: Best Mold Foggers Review
How To Get Mold Out Of Carpet
Mold growth on carpet can result in the carpet being damp, by now you should know moisture and carpet aren’t best friends. The best remedy to get mold out of carpet is using a Mold Fogger.
Here are four other DIY methods you can use to get mold out of carpet.
Using Baking Soda
Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the moldy spot and leave overnight, vacuum up the area in the morning. The advantage of using baking soda here is its light odor and it’s inexpensive.
Using White Vinegar
Pour a small amount of white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray over the affected area, allow to sit for 5 minutes then scrub with a stiff brush. Blow the area dry.
Remember to use a mask, a pair of glove and allow ventilation when using vinegar to avoid inhaling its strong smell.
Using A Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner will help suck up any pieces of mold around after you’ve followed any of the first two steps above. This will also prevent pieces of mold from spreading around the home. Check out creative ways of using a vacuum cleaner.
Using A Steam Cleaner
Another great tool to remove mold infestation from your home, steam cleaning can be very effective. The vapor from the steam cleaner is hot enough to kill mold at its early stage. Ensure to dry the carpet after steam cleaning as moisture can encourage new mold growth.
How To Prevent Growth Of Mold On Carpet
Lack of vacuuming can give mold enough chance to grow till it gets to a critical stage requiring carpet replacement. Vacuum your carpet regularly, doing this will suck up the mold from your carpet before it gets prevalent.
Always keep the carpet dry, whenever you steam clean a carpet, the best approach to avoid mold growth is to ensure it is dry. You can get a fan or open up the window for better ventilation and getting the carpet to dry faster.
How To Get Rid Of Mold Smell
After you’ve gotten rid of mold from your home, the best way to get rid of the smell is by using a natural odor absorber such as activated charcoal or baking soda. Get rid of these odor absorbers after two weeks as they would have been soaked up in the smell.
Conclusion
Back to the question, what does mold smell like? We ran a query a noticed this isn’t the only question asked. Others asked, what does mold smell like in carpet? Fortunately, we’ve answered your questions, and also added how to get mold out of carpet.
Should you, in any case, have those allergic reactions when at home or perceive the smell of mold as described above, then you have an uninvited guest in your home and you know exactly what you do.
We hope this post has been beneficial to you, there are a few out there looking for ways on how to get rid of mold from their home, share this post and save them the stress.
Over to you, what does mold smells like to you and how did you get rid of it from your home?
