Dad issues warning after pulling up kid’s floor mat tiles and discovering what’s left underneath

This dad got a nasty surprise after pulling up the plastic mat tiles he had laid on the floor where his children play.

Tons of parents purchase protective layers in the hopes of protecting their floorboards from the mess their children make, but a lot don't realise that you ought to check what's going on underneath them regularly.

Otherwise, you might end up like this poor lad - who is now looking at purchasing new flooring because of the damage they have done.

The father, who lives in Houston, Texas, explained that he only realised his major mistake after a visiting neighbour urged him to inspect his flooring.

He peeled back the foam tiles that were laid throughout the family home and realised that mould had been growing beneath them, much to his horror.

Taking to X to share a 'PSA for parents' who also kit their properties out in the kid-friendly floor coverings, the American explained: "They don't allow the floor to breathe and traps everything under there.

"Didn't even think about it until we had a neighbour come over and tell us this morning."

The dad then shared a snap of the black mould that had infiltrated his floorboards, causing severe discolouration and what appeared to be a fair bit of damage.

After being berated by some social media users who suggested his cleaning regime clearly wasn't up to scratch, he explained he has been kicking himself.

One person responded to the post saying: "That’s on you for never moving them…why would you not clean underneath them? I’ve had these mat tiles for years and mine never looked like that underneath."

A 'common' issue

Comically, he then hit back saying: "[These are] great questions I'm now asking myself."

Others were a lot more sympathetic to the homeowner's plight, including a former cleaner who said this was actually a very 'common' issue, 'especially at the end of a humid summer'.

"It also happens with rugs that have that black rubbery backing," they said. "Your house looks very nice, clean and organised, don’t listen to the weirdos in the replies."

The dad explained he shared his post in the hopes it could help someone else avoid 'making the same dumbass mistake he did'.

He told his followers that the property was 'only a few years old' and that he believed the humidity in Houston was probably a large contributing factor.

Mould thrives in wet and dark places - and it's a health risk as well as an annoyance, as it can eventually cause respiratory illnesses, allergies and asthma if you don't get rid of it.

When asked what his next steps were, the father said he would 'likely' be replacing the flooring.

The majority of social media users seemed quite stunned by the damage that the tiles had caused, as one joked: "The way theres a whole ecosystem living under those tiles and you only found out because a neighbour snitched."

Another added: "You need to inform us how you’re going to fix that! I’m hyper ventilating for you lol my OCD needs this info, thank you."

A third wrote: "Oh s**t. I have this time of rubber gym flooring in my basement gym. I wonder if it’s the same?"

And a fourth chimed in saying: "This is one of my favourite paradoxes - because of the fear to ruin something, you protect it and ruin it even more."

Others suggested the dad was seriously lacking 'common sense', as a number of people pointed out that you ought to be cleaning underneath the tiles on a regular basis.

One user explained: "I had those for a couple years, at least three times a week I would clean under them. It's annoying, but it bothered me to think the dirt was getting stuck in the flooring."

A second said: "So, you don't generally get much cleaning done?"

And a third commented: "I used to pull ours up every week to vacuum underneath. We’d somehow get dust and dirt under it."

So lads, take this as your reminder to take a look under any protective layering in your property.