I Have White Mold Growing on Top of a Carpet in My Closet

Mold grows on almost any surface, including wood, carpet and food. Removing any mold growing in your home is important to your health, as many people suffer from allergic reactions to mold. White mold growing in your closet, or anywhere in your home, should be removed to reduce adverse effects.

Mold spores are often carried inside the house on shoes or pets.

Identification

Mold enters our homes in a variety of ways. Open doors and windows provide reproductive mold spores with easy access to moist areas of your home. Once mold spores land on a damp area on carpet, they multiply and grow. Moisture seeping through flooring and walls is a common cause of mold growth. Mold grows anywhere in the home where moisture remains abundant and unresolved.

Symptoms

There are certain telltale signs that mold is growing in your home. Severe infestations of mold are visible on carpet. If you have white mold visibly growing on your carpet, then you have heavy mold growth underneath the carpet on the padding. Smelling mold in your home is another symptom of heavy mold growth. Mold typically smells damp or musty. If those who live in your home are suffering from severe hay fever, asthma or other allergic conditions, you may have heavy mold growth somewhere in your home. Mold does not always cause allergic symptoms, but is often severe in those who have mold sensitivity.

Causes

Mold must have moisture to grow and thrive. Flooding is a common cause of mold growth. When cleaning your home after a flood, wet carpet and padding must be removed to prevent mold regrowth. Fixing any leaks in the bathroom can prevent mold growth on carpet. Carpet laid over concrete flooring is especially susceptible to mold growth because concrete absorbs moisture and transfers it to the carpet, providing mold with a place to breed.

Control

Controlling mold growth in your home is best accomplished by monitoring the humidity levels inside the house. Condensation on your windows is a sign that there is excess humidity in your home. Running a dehumidifier inside your home can help combat excess moisture. Mold is impossible to completely remove from porous surfaces such as carpet and padding. Remove any carpet with mold growth and discard it. The pad underneath must also be removed and discarded. Run fans inside your home to increase air circulation to prevent mold growth.

The Drip Cap

Mold grows on almost any surface, including wood, carpet and food.
Mold enters our homes in a variety of ways.
Mold typically smells damp or musty.
Fixing any leaks in the bathroom can prevent mold growth on carpet.
Condensation on your windows is a sign that there is excess humidity in your home.