If your carpets are prone to fungal growth, you need to keep them clean to prevent the spread of spores and bacteria. In addition, you need to reduce the amount of moisture in the air around your home and reduce humidity levels in specific areas.
1. Using Snow to Remove Debris That is Sucking Your Carpet
If you have an area rug that is made of wool or another nonporous fiber, you can use the natural snowfall in your yard to get rid of debris that has become trapped under the carpet fibers. This will help you save money on professional carpet cleaning services and will leave your floors cleaner than they would have been otherwise.
2. Dilute White Vinegar with Warm Water and Shake Well to Sanitize Your Carpets
If your carpet is made of wool or other soft, nonporous fibers, you can use distilled white vinegar with a ratio of 6% acetic acid to sanitize your carpet. The acetic acid in the vinegar breaks apart soil and alters germ cell structure, which helps reduce bacterial populations on your carpets.
3. Spray Your Carpet With a Mixture of Baking Soda and Essential Oils
If the odor of your carpet isn't pleasant, try using baking soda and essential oils to remove it. Baking soda has antibacterial, antimicrobial, and deodorizing properties and is a natural way to freshen up your carpets.
4. Make a DIY Carpet Deodorizer Powder
If you want to freshen up your carpets without spending a fortune, make a homemade carpet deodorizer powder using baking soda, corn starch (corn flour), and zinc oxide. You can also add essential oils for additional sanitizing power and to give your carpets a nice scent.
5. Make a Disinfectant Solution for Your Carpets
If your carpet has been contaminated with mold and mildew, you can spray it with a disinfecting solution to kill the spores that are causing the problem. Most disinfectants are EPA-approved and have a registration number that can be found on the product ingredients.
6. Wash Your Carpet Regularly to Remove Bacteria
Before attempting to clean your carpets, it's important to vacuum them frequently to eliminate loose dirt, dust, and allergens that are likely to be trapped in the fibers. You can do this by vacuuming at least two times a week to ensure your carpets are fully cleaned and disinfected.
7. Wash Your Carpets to Remove Spores
If you have a sterile area rug or a small, nonporous carpet in an enclosed space, you can use a hot water extraction carpet shampooing technique to thoroughly clean your carpet and kill spores. You will need to use a disinfectant after the cleaning to ensure your carpets are free from fungi.
8. Vacuum Your Carpet Regularly to Catch Dirt and Soil
You can also clean your carpets more often if you have pets or kids in the house. Pets can contaminate your carpet by licking their fur and playing with their hair, which can lead to the spread of bacteria and fungi.
9. Inspect your Rain Gutter
Clogged gutters can lead to water overflow, causing rainwater to pour over the sides of the gutters instead of draining away from the house. When this happens, water can seep into the walls of the house, eventually making its way down to the foundation. If the foundation becomes waterlogged, the moisture can spread into the basement or crawl space, where it can potentially damage carpets or any other flooring materials.
Overall, clogged gutters can lead to moisture problems that can damage carpets and other flooring materials in the home, so it's important to regularly clean and maintain your gutters by yourself or get the help of a professional gutter cleaning service like Gutter Cleaning Spartanburg SC to prevent these issues
