What is the best way to treat mold. If I soak my carpet with alcohol will it kill that mold?

I had a pipe leak inside my wall and it leaked out onto the my carpted floor. We have gotten up most of the excess water but Its still a little damn causing mold underneath the carpet. I am highly allergic to mold and have laready been to the emergency room for respiratory problems caused by the mold.

I lifted some of the carpt and sprayed it with mold killer but the other part of my carpet is still a little damp and the wood anchoring the carpet is probably where most of the mold is. Should I cut out that part of the carpet and get rid of it?

How can I treat this without removing the carpet. Or should I remove the carpet entirely. If I do, can alcohol kill the mold?

I am not a Mold Expert. I am a Plumber and General Contractor. Here is what I would do in my house in situation like yours :

You should remove the carpet and hang it outside for few days until completely dry. If there is padding, than it has to be removed, discarded, and new padding installed. Before you install new padding, rent few fans and have them blow air on concrete / wood sub-floor. You don't want to blow hot air on it. No heaters. Hot air promotes mold growth. Just open windows and use room temperature air. It will take few days, before the wetness disappears and moisture level drop to acceptable levels. Then, I would ( preventively ) spray it with a chemical that kills mold. Only then, install padding and reinstall carpet.

It will take you about a week or two to accomplish the entire process. There is really no way around it other then let the floor and carpet completely dry. Even then, and depending on the type of the carpet, you still may smell it in the future.

If you are allergic to mold, or have health issues that may get irritated in presence of mold - than I would definitely call a professional to handle this problem. Your health is much more important than few hundred dollars in bank.

Good luck... Let me know what you decided to do. Milo

A spray mixture of two cups of household bleach in one gallon of water will kill the mold.

Milo gave you some good advice about mold being hazzardous to your health.

But if there was a way that you can handle this yourself I would do it because if a pro tells you that you have black mold it could wind up costing you thousands of dollars and he will report it and it will be on the records of your house. And there is such a scare going on now that some of these reports are making people back out of a house sale.

I do mold remediation and there are a few "do's and dont's". As milo said you have to dry everything out first, however anything organic and fibrous such as all carpeting, wood, drywall will absorb the smell and should be discarded if it is affecting your health. It will continue to smell after it is dried out. For light mold the steps are: Wear a mask suitable for ORGANIC PARTICULATE. Fill a spray bottle with water and a few drops of dish soap. Spray area of light mold with water/soap mixture, wipe with clean rags until you can't remove any more mold. Sand lightly with 80 grit sandpaper. Spray entire area with a product called CONCROBIUM. Do not use bleach as many people think you should, while it will kill the mold it also reacts chemically with some types of mold and produces gas that can be just as bad as having the mold itself. Concrobium is an organic product, no chemicals, dries clear and inhibits future mold growth. It isn't cheap but it is worth it. I buy it from Home depot. For heavy mold, my experience is to get rid of whatever it is on.

Therenoater: I agree with all you said - especially the last sentence. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us !

Thank you all. Will vinegar be as effective as bleach?

So far I have gotten up some. I took out the carpet in the coat closet where the leak occurred. I dowsed the entire area with vinegar and let it soak. Then I let the fan dry out the rest over the entire day. I resoaked it invineger just to ensure the mold would be killed and dried it again. Next I took a flathead screwdriver and hammer and removed the tackless around the inside of the closet. I know the mold is dead cause I did not get sick. I have another area of carpet to go and once that's done, I will lay down some self adhesive tiles. Thank you all for your help. I have one question about laying down tile but I wll make that a new thread. Thanks