Could black mold under our rug cause my kids' coughs?« Back to Previous Page

Yes, the black mould you found is a very likely cause of your children's persistent coughs. In Dubai's humid climate, mould growth is common when moisture gets trapped, like under a rug from an AC leak. The spores become airborne and are inhaled, acting as a powerful irritant that commonly triggers coughing, congestion, and worsened allergy symptoms, especially in children.

Do not attempt to clean this yourself. A large patch under a rug indicates a significant moisture issue and disturbing it will release a massive cloud of spores throughout your home, potentially making the health issues much worse. For a remediation job of this scale, professional containment is essential.

The safest protocol is to first get a professional inspection to identify the exact mould species and the full extent of the moisture damage, which often travels under flooring. A proper remediation team will then isolate the area with physical barriers and negative air pressure machines to prevent spore spread, safely remove the contaminated materials (rug, padding, possibly a section of flooring), and use HEPA vacuuming and antimicrobial treatments to clean the area.

Finally, the root cause—the AC leak—must be permanently fixed. Given Dubai's year-round reliance on AC, ensuring your units are serviced to prevent condensation buildup is critical to stopping this from happening again.