Bukhara rug --mold? mildew?

[mattl]

I'm having a party next weekend and went down the basement to clean up a bit.  I have a Persian  rug in the center section and I was shocked to see blotches of a gray/white something or other in various sections of the rug.  I have not been in that section of the house for months, I suspect it happened during the summer when I cut down on the use of my dehumidifier.  Grabbed my Bissel rug cleaner and cleaned a section, it appears to have come off.  I was wondering if it was on the surface only so I grabbed the vacuum and went over another section and it seemed to lift most of what ever it was off too.  Finished cleaning it with the carpet cleaner and it appears to be gone.

 

Anyone come across this type of situation on a wool rug?  Any ideas to prevent it? Best way to describe it would be if someone took flour and sprinkled it in random areas, walked over it, then brushed it off.  If it was mold or mildew wouldn't it be all over the rug?  I guess I should store the rug for the summer if it's related to humidity.

 

[gansky1]

Do you have the rug on carpet or on the basement floor?  Usually this would indicate humidity too high.  If on a hard floor, I would put some sort of pad under it as a barrier to direct contact with the temp & humidity changes of the floor.   Natural fibers like it pretty dry or they will begin to break down pretty quickly.

 

[mattl]

It's on a vinyl floor, with a carpet pad underneath. Funny thing is the rug has been down there for a number of years yet this is the first time anything like that has happened.

 

[launderess]

If It's Truly Mould

Then vacuuming may lead only to spreading spores all over your house as the exahust air leaves the machine. I'd take the machine outdoors, remove/empty the bag and dispose of it in the rubbish.

Mold/mildew growth equals dampness and food for the fungi to grow with. Have there been any problems with mositure in your cellar? Poor air flow? In many areas of the country this winter has meant more rain than snow so it's worth checking to see if your basement walls and or floor are "wet".

L.

 

[arbilab]

You may need to run the Bissel again. And this time put 5 drops of iodine in the solution. Mold is VERY hard to kill, seeing as how it is everywhere. Detergent doesn't remove it or inhibit it. And the water in the solution feeds it.

Sodium hypochlorite/bleach kills it. Might mop the concrete with bleach, let dry, then do the rug with iodine. Good luck. Some molds are toxic, and they all stink.

 

[mattl]

Checked the rug today, it dried nicely and looks great.  I guess I'll keep an eye on it over the next month or two and see what develops - nothing I hope. 

 

Basement gets quite damp in the warmer months, the dehumidifier runs about 24/7 from mid April till well into the fall, gets a little pricey.  Tried to cut down the use last year, not happy with the results.

 

[launderess]

More Tips:

Hope things work out well!

http://www.nachi.org/carpet-mold.htm