I have a puppy that is a year old and she still isn't fully potty trained(shes a lot better than she used to be, but still has accidents) plus i have a toddler and normally have many other children here- leaving spills and stains. So for the past year I have used my carpet shampooer A LOT but am now concerned that it may have mold under it or in the padding. my mother keeps telling me they aren't a good thing to use and they will create mold. So I am wondering if it would be moldy and if so how I can get rid of the mold? Thanks!:)
There would only be mold if it was sopping wet and never dried.
If the carpet isn't hairy, and you don't smell anything odd, tell your Mom, The carpets fine. And get the dog trained, or that will cause an odor. She's old enough to be completely housebroken.
Carpet shampooers do thoroughly soak your carpet, but they are also designed to pull the liquid quickly back out so it does not remain in the carpet. The cleaning works the same way that the river smooths stones - friction and water. Mold requires a long breeding time, contaminants, and a warm, damp environment. One way to get mold in the carpet is to leave a wet spot for a long time. This could simply mean that the puppy managed to get away with one accident that you didn't see, and when you finally trod across that area, it was already soaked down to the padding and so, never got cleaned up. Another possibility is that your carpet shampooer MIGHT be malfunctioning, and not pulling the water back out fast enough. This would be very easy to determine, as the carpet would be very wet when you finish. If it's damp, but not soaked, then the carpet shampooer is probably not to blame for the problem. There is a possibility that you have another problem, such as a busted pipe or something that could be affecting it. If you can't determine the source, you can pull the carpet off of the tacks, and check to see if you have mold.
