Mold Under Carpet Pad???

[tev9999]

I just ripped up my ~ 10 year old carpet in the living room and hallway. In many areas there was a black gunk stuck to the hardwood floor under the pad. It seemed to be confined to the high traffic areas. It also was confined to the center portion of the hardwood floor boards. Is this mold? The carpet has had a few dog accidents over the years, but the areas were too large to be strictly from this, plus the hallway seemed the worst and I don't recall ever having to do any clean up there. I'm thinking I may have let it get too wet at some point using the home carpet cleaner (bissel upright). Or is this just a byproduct of the pad, dirt, dust, etc.?

I mopped up with spic & span plus bleach. I'll give it a second cleaning tonight before the new carpet goes in tomorrow afternoon. The new pad will have the waterproof membrane on top, so hopefully that will minimize this in the future, if it is really mold I am seeing.

[Chub]

Had the same thing with a rental house I rehabbed last year. The pad deteriorated in the dark spots and turned into this dark gunk that had stained the carpet from below. The carpet pads from 10 years ago must have been defective.

[Stretch]

tev,

Not enough information. Can't see the black stuff fromhere. Where is your house located. What is your climate. Is the floor over a crawlspace, basement or slab? How cold do you run your AC? Etc. Providemore information and we can give a better answer.

Stretch

[Joseph Meehan]

While I can't ID it, it does sound like you have done what should be done, cleaning and the bleach wash. I would not worry, unless there was some indication of future moisture in those areas.

Of course if it were me, I would want to consider restoring the hardwood, but to each there own.

[tev9999]

Detroit, MI area. Hardwood over 1X6s over full heated basement. AC was only installed last spring - kept mid to upper 70s during the summer. Have never had moisture problems in the past.

[Doug Kanter]

A lot of plastic products from "the old days" deteriorated over time, and that might be all you're seeing. I had a nice aluminum camera case with foam lining, circa 1973. About 5 years ago, the foam began turning into some sort of god-awful goop the consistency of peanut butter. No liquids or other substances ever came into contact with it.