We had a rather unpleasant surprise this week when I came down with an unexpected allergy attack. It was so bad that it was nearly flu-like, complete with drippy nose, watery eyes and aching everywhere. I couldn’t even breath with my nose, which is always the pits (even with those nose strips—they feel so weird when you wear them).

It seems the air conditioner in our bedroom—which is not connected with the rest of the house, which has central air—started to leak. We didn’t even use it much, but apparently we used it enough to foster some lovely mold on our wall and even a bit in the carpet.

It’s stinky, it’s wrecking havoc on my allergies…and it’s unfamiliar territory. So how do we go about getting rid of this mold?

I did some asking around and some researching, and I’m sharing the ones I’ve found and been advised here.

Spray with vinegar: I love vinegar for everything from cooking to cleaning, so I like this idea.

Soap and water: Apparently simply scrubbing with this, since there isn’t much on the wall, will get rid of it. If you’re trying to ditch mildew, they say to use a stiff cleaning brush to do the job—and that an old toothbrush will work well for this.

Baking soda: For the small area of carpet that’s been affected, I’ve been told to dump some baking soda on it, let it soak, and vacuum it up afterward. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I also read that it doesn’t matter if the mold is alive or dead—that it can still affect you as long as it’s there. The goal is to remove it, not necessarily to kill it. (Even so, the thought of “It’s alive!” won’t quit creeping me out… for someone who likes her yogurt, I sure do get the heebie-jeebies with other “live” stuff in my house!) So you can skip the bleach, which will kill but not remove it.

Also, it’s not considered a hazardous material, so you can toss it out with the garbage if you have to chop up carpet (something I fear) or toss boxes that have mold on them. Covering it, however, is a nice thing to do for the garbage collectors who will dispose of it for you.

I’d love your ideas and suggestions. Please let me know what’s worked for you—and what doesn’t work at all.