I've recently been more desperate than EVER to get rid of my carpet. I keep getting these mold infections and it's not from what I'm eating. I was really sick from mold about two weeks ago and that was a time when I wasn't eating ANY sugar at all; I mean not even honey or fruit or ANY sugar at all. My doctor keeps telling me that it's in the air. I just have this funky feeling about the carpet. I remember posting about a friend who keeps her carpet IMMACULATE and when she got rid of her carpet there was mold on the bottom. If she had mold, I don't know if I care to look at what is on the bottom of my carpet.
If you can get rid of your carpet, I would encourage you to do so. My husband and I have discussed cork floors when we first moved here, but now we are discussing it more seriously. Hopefully, we could do it next summer if not this summer.
Symptoms of mold infection:
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mold-symptoms-allergies.html#symptoms
How to kill mold:
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html
If you have mold, it's because you have a constant source of water leakage. In which case, you will have mold no matter what type of flooring you put down. A synthetic carpet will not grow mold on its own - it must be wet and dirty. I am also allergic to mold - I understand your problems. I use a good vacuum and keep my carpets dry.
ReplyDeleteMy carpet is definitely not dirty. I don't keep them as immaculate as my friend (who kept her carpet FAR from dirty), but I take meticulous care of my carpet. I don't even allow shoes on my carpet.
DeleteWet, however, was a problem for both of us. My friend occasionally gave her carpet a professional cleaning. It is possible that the cleaners did not dry the carpet thoroughly enough. This is the only reason she could have possibly had mold. On top of the fact that I gave my carpet a wall to wall cleaning when I first moved here, we also discovered two leaks not long after moving in; one in the bedroom when it rained and one in the hall coming from the shower. There was evident mold in the bedroom because we were out of town once when it rained pretty heavily. The water just sat in the carpet until there was growth both in the carpet AND on the walls (it was pretty horrible). We saw it as soon as we came home. Both leaks were fixed very soon after discovery and I scrubbed my walls and carpet (with a carpet cleaner and herbal mold killers) as best I could; but I believe it's possible that there was still enough moisture to give me trouble.
If you are allergic to mold, getting rid of your carpet is the best thing to do. Carpet can hold mold, dirt, toxins and dust mites even if you are as meticulous as my friend and me. Mold and bugs both HATE cork which is why we are considering cork floors. Plus, if there IS a leak, it is MUCH easier to mop the water off of cork than it is to clean carpet and mold is NOT likely to grow from cork.