Conventional wisdom suggests that moisture is the primary culprit that causes mold on carpeting and that ridding the carpet of moisture will take care of the mold problem. This is only partially true. As it turns out, carpet mold is surprisingly easy to keep under control, moisture control being only part of the answer. If you have carpet in a basement or other area with potentially high humidity, you always do want to rid the area of moisture, plus keep the temperatures low. On top of that, if you are considering carpeting, make the choice for synthetic carpeting such as nylon or olefin. But researchers have found that the main cause of carpet mold isn’t moisture or temperature. It’s something that’s easier to control: dirt.
Keep Moisture in Check
A humidity level of 65 percent or lower tends to be the perfect level for maintaining a mold-free carpet. You can lower humidity in a contained area by running a portable dehumidifier or providing airflow by leaving windows and doors open as needed. Don’t open the windows if outdoor humidity is high. Other conditions that deliver greater amounts of moisture to the basement must be check in check, as well:
Look outside, at the ground around the basement. The earth should be sloped away from the house to prevent groundwater and run-off from moving back toward the house.Gutters and downspouts need to deliver rainwater well away from the house, usually 4 or more feet.The gutters need to be kept clean in order to prevent overflow.Garden ponds or any other yard feature that collects water should be situated well away from the house.
Keep Temperatures Lower
Temperatures of 80 degrees F and higher can contribute to mold growth in the carpet. Portable or central air conditioning can help with both temperature and moisture because it lowers humidity as it cools the air.
Keep Your Carpet Clean
The potential for moldy carpets prevents many homeowners from installing carpet in their basements. Basements are notoriously damp places, even those that seem dry to our sight, touch, and smell. Light humidity in the largely enclosed environment of a basement builds up over time and can cause problems for carpet and other materials. But is humidity not the only cause of mold? A scientific study sponsored by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has provided a more complex picture of how mold grows in carpeting and how best to avoid the problem. Studies were conducted to find out whether high humidity (such as you might find in a basement, below-grade installation) caused mold growth on carpeting. Carpets in various conditions (new, old, dirty, and clean) were subjected to various levels of humidity. Researchers, in particular, wanted to see if high humidity (defined as 80 percent or more) provided mold/mildew with an incubator in carpeting. What they found was that dirt, more than humidity, contributed to mold growth. Carpets that were heavily or even lightly soiled, bred far more mold than clean carpets when subjected to the same levels of moisture. Simply put, high humidity plus dirt equals mold. Dirt on carpeting grows mold for two reasons. First, the dirt contains mold spores. Second, dirt itself contains moisture. The moisture in the dirt combined with the room’s ambient humidity, therefore, provides a rich breeding ground for mold. Even worse, dirt is a hygroscopic material, meaning that it readily soaks up any available moisture—whether ambient humidity or surface moisture. In other words, dirt is a moisture magnet. It is worth noting that if a carpet is clean enough, it is highly resistant to mold growth despite humid conditions. In the CRI study, clean nylon carpet was subjected to high temperatures and levels of humidity (80 degrees F; 80 percent humidity), and no mold growth occurred. Even clean carpeting that was known to have active mold spores did not support additional mold growth.
Install Synthetic Carpet Materials
Organic carpet materials such as wool are more prone to mold growth than inorganic or synthetic carpeting such as nylon or olefin.
