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Thread ID: 69762	2006-06-11 09:30:00	How to remove mould stain ?	SKT174 (1319)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
462314	2006-06-11 09:30:00	Recently I found there's a wet patch on the carpet, to make it worst, there's mould on it. I've removed all the mould and dried up the carpet, unfortunately the color is now different to what it used to be. It seems darker than original. Is there anything that I can used to remove the mould stain ? Actually I'm not sure if it's mould stain. Any advice would be appreciated.	SKT174 (1319)
462315	2006-06-11 09:51:00	www.doityourself.com www.mrscleannw.com	zqwerty (97)
462316	2006-06-12 07:19:00	The blackness is residue from . . . black mold . . . the same mold that forms on swimming pool walls . We remove it with a chemical called tri-sodium phosphate . . or TSP . Using dilute bleach (sodium- or calcium- hypochloride, whichever your country will allow on the store shelves) will not work well . . it will probably just remove the color of the carpet even if you dilute it very much . You can TRY hydrogen peroxide in a 2% to 3% strength to remove any proteins that are residual too . TSP and hydrogen peroxide are not usually harmful to hands or carpet . Hydrogen peroxide 2% is just an oxidizer, and not very strong at that . TSP is a wetting agent and makes the water "wetter" so it can get beneath the stain, so to speak and help release it . Don't drink or injest either for personal longevity . Since I used to lay carpet for a few years, I had to also clean them too . The commercial mold removers just cost a lot and actually did no better than the two mentioned above . Ether-based cleaners are just dangerous, and some of the biphosphonates are ok, but they are very residual .	SurferJoe46 (51)
462317	2006-06-12 08:14:00	Thanks ~	SKT174 (1319)
462318	2006-06-12 23:59:00	Using dilute bleach (sodium- or calcium- hypochloride, whichever your country will allow on the store shelves) will not work well..it will probably just remove the color of the carpet even if you dilute it very much Surfer, Even in the USA it is hypochlorite!	bonzo29 (2348)
462319	2006-06-13 00:01:00	Ooops! Even in the USA it is hypochlorite! Remember that I am very old.	SurferJoe46 (51)
462320	2006-06-13 02:07:00	Ooops! Even in the USA it is hypochlorite! Remember that I am very old. Maybe, but not as old as I am	bonzo29 (2348)
462321	2006-06-16 04:14:00	Recently I found there's a wet patch on the carpet, to make it worst, there's mould on it . I've removed all the mould and dried up the carpet, unfortunately the color is now different to what it used to be . It seems darker than original . Is there anything that I can used to remove the mould stain ? Actually I'm not sure if it's mould stain . Any advice would be appreciated . Use warm soapy water (dilute bleach is no longer de rigueur), then dry well . To wash completely and dry, lift the carpet up, if there is mould on the capet backing as well, treat it the same way, but only if the mould is not abundant . What has caused the mould, a spillage or leak . If the later you will need to remediate the leak and any other consequential damage before you address the carpet . If the fungus is a sooty black, perhaps with white mycelia, you can suspect it's Stachybotrys atra which just loves cellolose rich fibre (paper, carpet backing, wood fibre board such as MDF and fibre cement sheet, etc) . I don't want to be alarmist but, you Definitely Do Not want to dry out S atra before treating as: "Stachybotrys atra is capable of producing many toxins including Trichothecene (T-2 toxin) and Satratoxin G and H, which are all extremely toxic, carcinogenic and immunosuppressive . These toxins have a high molecular weight and are non-volatile . In the actively growing state, the spores are sticky and clump together and, therefore, are not readily aerosolised . Once the fungus is dead and dried out, the spores do become aerosolised and, although no longer viable, still contain the toxins . There may be a large individual variation in dose/response to these toxins . " S atra requires sustained high humidity (damp > wet condtions) for growth to initiate, although it can survive in much lower humidity once established . If the growth is abundant, then total removal of the affected material is the best treatment (mask, gloves, sealed bags, etc) . If these conditions were/are not present, you probably do not have any thing to worry about . BTW . This is not a rare or unusual fungus, it's growth is almost inevitable in the right conditions .	Murray P (44)
462322	2006-06-16 13:56:00	Use warm soapy water (dilute bleach is no longer de rigueur), then dry well . To wash completely and dry, lift the carpet up, if there is mould on the capet backing as well, treat it the same way, but only if the mould is not abundant . What has caused the mould, a spillage or leak . If the later you will need to remediate the leak and any other consequential damage before you address the carpet . If the fungus is a sooty black, perhaps with white mycelia, you can suspect it's Stachybotrys atra . Thanks for the detailed info Murray, luckily it's not sooty black, it was white, and the carpet seems became darker than before . It was a leak from the shower and it has been fixed . I will try the soapy water this weekend and see how it goes .	SKT174 (1319)
462323	2006-06-18 12:14:00	You're welcome . Essentially the warm soapy water is to deal to the mould, i . e . kill it, which was my primary concern . But, it's not necessarilly going to be any better, or worse, than any other product at removing the stain . If the warm soapy water doesn't do the trick, try a 10% solution of household bleach or perhaps try sprinkling baking soda (on dry carpet, vacuum off) or whatever other product is recommended for removing stains off (wool?) carpet . Unfortunately, if the fungus has entered the cells of carpet fibre (and that's how they generally work, when you see a fungus you're looking at hyphae/mycelia and the fruiting bodies, not the working bits inside), you probably won't be able extract the stain, but then that's not my area .	Murray P (44)
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