Mildew removal

Post #8,126 by orion 9/10/01 4:34:05 PM Reply	Mildew removal Ok here it is, my son who is almost three (two years and ten months) is learning how to go to the potty and wash his hands. He stopped up the sink during the night when my wife and I were sleeping and he let the water run. It leaked into the basement. I tried wiping up the carpet with towels and using a fan and a hair dryer, but it may be growing mildew. My car sunroof appearently leaks and after a strong rain, the water drips in. I am starting to smell mildew or something in the car. What is the best way to remove the mildew without damaging the carpet? *Picking up the pieces of my broken life.*
Post #8,159 by kmself 9/10/01 7:34:57 PM Reply	Replace it. Mildew's awfully persistant stuff. Chlorine will kill it, but that has its own problems. You'll probably need to pull up the carpet in any event to dry and/or launder it. Frankly, I'd explor alternative floor coverings, particularly in a basement: they're dark, damp, and low places, ideal for water and mildew. Employing STFW, [link\|http://www.google.com/search?q=mildew+stain+odor+removal+carpet\|Google search] is useful as usual. Another suggestion is to use a strong baking soda or cleaning soda solution. I'm not sure if this will kill the mildew, but it should help with the smell. I'd think it's more useful on things like tents or camping gear which can be thoroughly soaked. I'm finding washing soda's an excellent fix for a lot of common household problems (no comments from the peanut gallery). Otherwise, you're looking for an oxidant which has minimal bleaching properties, unfortunately, the two go hand-in-hand: bleaches are oxidizers. -- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?
Post #8,603 by boxley 9/12/01 12:49:00 PM Reply	baking soda is the best bet without stains why did god give us a talleywhacker and a trigger finger if he didnt want us to use them? Randy Wayne White
Post #8,949 by orion 9/13/01 5:06:39 PM Reply	Good idea, thanks! I will try that. See how it does. Thanks! *Picking up the pieces of my broken life.*
Post #9,860 by rsf 9/20/01 1:16:33 PM Reply	Remove It Karsten is right. You may be able to kill or mask the mildew on the top of the carpet but if it's bad enough to notice in the first place, it's almost certain that the mildew will be growing underneath the carpet and in the padding if you have any. If it gets that deep, you'll never be able to get rid of it. Best bet probably would be to cover the basement with something water proof like tile, vinyl, or paint, and use rugs to make it more 'homey'. If you want to get really fancy, I've seen tile and vinyl that has the look of wood. Ray

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