Steam cleaning is an excellent way to remove stains and dirt from your carpets without damaging them. However, using water to clean your carpets carries the risk that mold will start to grow on them. Mold will grow anywhere with moisture and a food source, and mold will eat the organic material in carpet padding. If you're planning on steam cleaning your carpet on your own, read on to learn how you can reduce the risk of mold growth after you've finished steam cleaning it.

Use Professional Steam Cleaning Equipment

When you're trying to prevent mold from growing on your carpet after steam cleaning it, it's important to only use professional equipment. You can rent professional steam cleaning equipment at home improvement stores or equipment rental stores for contractors.

Avoid the steam cleaners you can rent at the grocery store. They have two problems that make mold growth more likely. The first is that they have underpowered motors that don't do a very good job of vacuuming up water from the carpet, especially if it's deep in the carpet padding.

Grocery store steam cleaners also don't heat up the water in the tank as much as professional equipment. This results in worse cleaning performance since lukewarm water doesn't dissolve stains as well as water that's close to the boiling point. Water close to the boiling point also readily transforms into steam, which lets it evaporate away from the carpet fibers and padding.

If you can't find any professional steam cleaning equipment to rent, you're better off having a professional carpet cleaning service steam clean your carpet. The models you find at the grocery store are more likely to leave your carpet soaked, which can lead to mold growth.

Do Dry Passes on Your Carpet While Steam Cleaning It

When you're steam cleaning your carpet, there will be a button on the wand that lets you perform dry passes. This stops water from exiting the wand while still vacuuming up water from the carpet. You should perform several dry passes over your carpet until you no longer notice water being sucked up into the steam cleaner's tank. Performing dry passes on your carpet is important, as it will leave the carpet as dry as possible when you're done steam cleaning it. It also results in cleaner carpets, since the water you're vacuuming up from the carpet has dissolved dust and dirt in it.

Dry Your Carpet Quicker with Fans

Once you've finished steam cleaning your carpet, keep all of the doors in your home open and set up fans to help circulate air around your home. Using fans will help dry out your carpet quicker, resulting in less risk of mold growth. You should keep the fans on until your carpet, including the padding, is completely dry.

If you can't find commercial-grade steam cleaning equipment or are worried that you'll soak your carpets while steam cleaning them, hire a professional carpet cleaning service to steam clean your carpets. Professionals will leave your carpets as dry as possible, and they'll also set up fans in your home to help your carpets dry out faster. Hiring a professional carpet cleaning service will minimize the risk that your carpet padding will start to harbor mold after you've steam cleaned them.