Mildew removal

WMW
by WMW
While on vacation,we had a drain backup,(grey water). Got the area rug outside to dry but found some mildew. Any suggestions how to get rid of it,natural if possible?
Area rug Olefin. 10x14
  14 answers
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on May 19, 2014
    I know white vinegar gets rid of mold...thought I have never had vinegar hurt any fabric, I would sample test it on the fabric on a small spot.
  • Jessica C Jessica C on May 19, 2014
    I had a rug dealer tell me to use baby shampoo and wash it under the garden hose. Lay it over something to get it up off the ground and leave it in the sun to dry. Good luck!
  • Geanann Geanann on May 19, 2014
    @Iwww mission I have heard that putting lemon Juice and laying it in the sun helps
  • I would search out local rug cleaning stores. One where you can bring in the carpet and have it professionally cleaned. I would steer clear of doing any home remedy on this or risk fading the carpet.
  • Alicia Gillentine Carr Alicia Gillentine Carr on May 19, 2014
    Depending on the value of the rug you may, or may not want to try my method. I had not only mildew, but pet stains. I took the rug outside and laid it flat on concrete, soaked it with the hose, doused it (like, completely doused it) with buckets of vinegar, water and rug shampoo, scrubbed it in with a hard bristled broom and let it sit for a bit, then rinsed with the hose. Leaving it in the sun to dry seems to kill lots of odors. It took several days to dry so be sure to check the weather before you start!
    • Robin Fox Machado Robin Fox Machado on May 22, 2014
      @Alicia Gillentine Carr also can use hydrogen proxicide to fix mold stains but test first on a small area to make sure it does not run. None of my rugs expensive so I have done all the above.
  • Rebecca B Rebecca B on May 21, 2014
    I normally use salt and lemon juice mixture. First moisten with lemon juice then rub a little bit of table salt onto the area of mold. Lay it out in full sunlight for at least an hour or more. The sun will bleach the mold stain. Rinse with cold water and lay flat to dry. You can also use 10 drops of Tea Oil mixed with 1/2 cup of water and lay in the sun. Tea Oil will destroy mold without the sun but will take longer to do so. I have used both of these methods to remove mold many times on all sorts of objects and materials. I have a wool Turkish rug valued at $400.00 that got moldy and the lemon juice -salt mixture worked great on it. Good luck.
  • Kathryn MacMillan Kathryn MacMillan on May 21, 2014
    Did the same as Alicia, lost our roof (hurricane) and had a huge rug that had mildew odors, spots, mud stains, you name it. Put it outside on a wooden deck so water could drain through and vacuumed then got a scrubbing brush and gently worked baking soda into every inch. Let it sit for a couple of hours, vacuumed, then shampooed, then hosed it (I really rinsed it) then let it sit in the sun for a day or two. It came up like new. None of the color ran it looked amazing. I would definitely spot test a small area first though.Dye might run on a cheaper rug.
  • Anna Erishkigal Anna Erishkigal on May 21, 2014
    Is this a horrifically expensive, thousands-of-dollars authentic Persian or Craft rug? Or is it one you picked up at a local dealer for less than $300? If the former, bring it to a professional cleaner. If the latter, a professional cleaner probably costs almost as much as the rug, and in that case there are some good home remedies. Drag it outside onto a clean surface, preferably a deck. Vacuum it thoroughly. This next part is important. Go to a hardware or home store and purchase a DEDICATED sidewalk-sweeper brush that you will ONLY use for rug cleaning. You want one with soft, nylon bristles that you can run your hand across without hurting your hand, but not so soft that it feels completely pleasant. Mark this brush with a skull and crossbones with a black sharpie marker, along with an admonition that anyone who uses your carpet brush to sweep the sidewalk will die a horrible, painful death. This brush will become your money-saving best friend! Soak the rug thoroughly with a garden hose and brush it lightly to move water around with the brush. Use the carpet brush to scrub at any spot where grease or dirt has stained it (you may or may not be able to get it out). Use a laundry stain remover such as 'Shout' to remove stubborn spots and rinse that spot so it doesn't fade. Mix a solution in a 5-gallon bucket of one gallon white vinegar, 1/3 of a gallon of plain ammonia, and 4 gallons of water. Carefully dump the vinegar/ammonia water all over the wet carpet and use the brush to gently spread the water until it's thoroughly worked in. Allow the rug to sit for 2 days on the deck in the sun. This will disenfect the carpet, drive out fleas (if you have an infestation), and neutralize any pet odors which may have sunk into the rug. On the third day, rinse the carpet thoroughly with a garden hose until no more suds come up from the ammonia. Use the carpet brush to work it in. Roll the carpet up on your deck to squeeze the worst of the water out and walk on the rolled-up underside with your bare feet to squeeze out additional water. Now for mildew problems or horrific pet stains that not even the vinegar will touch, you want to make sure the mildew doesn't come back. Purchase 'denatured alcohol' or 'wood alcohol' from your hardware store (or just plain alcohol from your drugstore though per-gallon it tends to be more expensive). Pour into a spray bottle 'straight.' Spray the alcohol thoroughly on the underside of the carpet anyplace there is a mildew stain until it is thoroughly saturated, and then flip it over and do the same on the fluff side, working it in with your fingers. The alcohol will evaporate on its own. If it's a large rug, you may need to unroll it and allow it to dry partially in the sun for another day as it will be too heavy to lift. If not, roll it up and heave it up over your deck rail so that it hangs half-and-half over and is secure. Get out your garden hose and rinse it thoroughly a second time, using a stiff spray to spray the water harshly into the knap. Now let it hang in the sun and dry ... depending on the fiber and weather, it may take a few days. When you are finished, brush it again with your best-friend brush to soften up the fiber, roll it up, bring it inside, and it will smell wonderful (the vinegar odor will evaporate). It sounds like a lot of work, but really, it's only a few minutes each day and then a lot of time waiting for it to set and dry. I do this with every carpet in my house each summer (rotating through one room a week), with additional scrubs if needed due to kid-spills.
  • Wendy Johnson Wendy Johnson on May 21, 2014
    what a great bunch of suggestions, hope one works for you
  • LindaChaney2 LindaChaney2 on May 21, 2014
    I've found that Lysol kills and cleans mold and spores, just another weapon for your arsenal of cleaning tips :o) Hope it might help you out.
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on May 23, 2014
    Shaklee makes a number of products that kill mold. The one I use is Basic G, it even kills aides. Spot test! I just had two area rugs cleaned after my dog got very sick on them. I used Carpet One (a chain) because they use only non-toxic (a plant based cleaner.) Two large rugs cost me around $99.00 - well worth it because my rooms are painted and decorated around these are rugs. I could have bought a new rug but then the old ones would have to go to the landfill (a no no) and I would have to repaint. All in all, the cleaning was the best way for me to go. They look beautiful!
  • Comet Comet on May 24, 2014
    @WHITE OAK STUDIO DESIGNS---Seriously? You have a chemical product that KILLS your HELPERS? IF you meant to say--It even kills "AIDS"--well I would LOVE to see the scientific proof of this. First off it would be killing the HIV Retrovirus that causes AIDS. And HIV is pretty hard to catch from casual contact---I would think it would be near impossible to catch it from a---rug. Unless you are washing your IV drug use items in it you are probably OK with general cleaning products. If you like this stuff---that's great. Please don;t however make ignorant and pointless statements about a products ability to kill viral contamination.
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on May 26, 2014
    From the label: Shaklee Basic G Concentrated Germicide. Effective against the following Pathagens: Salmonella, Bordetella, Chlamydia, Legionella, Staphylococcus, MRSA. I used this on mold/mildew spores after serious flooding that have not returned.
  • You can definitely make your carpet mold and mildew free easily and naturally. But for doing that you definitely need to be patient with your efforts. Here is a link of a blog on "DIY Tips for Carpet Mold Prevention and Removal" http://bit.ly/1jUDpnh which I think you need. Hope you like it.