Our house got lots of rain in the past two weeks. We thought we didn't get it in our finished basement, but the room started smelling bad. We now realize that a small amount of water must have come through behind the drywall and entered the edge of the carpet on one side of the room.
Is it time to trash the carpet, or should we try to fix it (or have a professional carpet cleaner come) before we have it replaced?
(If new carpet is needed, I assume that I'll need to break down the drywall and get out any remaining undeen water or moisture before any new carpeting comes in.)
Thanks.
(If you need more info to answer, please let me know. I'll add it.)
2006-07-07 10:53:36 · 5 answers · asked by Stuck in the Middle Ages 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I agree with what goldenrod said, you have more of a chance that the "smell" is coming from the sheetrock-wall rather than the carpet. If the carpet is not 20 years old, most carpet that is sold today is "all plastic" front and back, so there is nothing really for the mold to feed off of, however the paper on the sheetrock is a nice food source.
You need to call a professional Water Damage Restoration Company, and get them to bring some "moisture meters" to test the walls and baseboard.
If the carpet is 20 something years old, it is possible that it has a jute backing and may have mold growing on it. So have them check it out. If they have been in the business for a while, they should know what they are doing.
2006-07-08 20:55:14 · answer #1 · answered by healthy_funny 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Carpet in basements is generally bad news, for exactly the reason you describe. If the mildew is truly slight, then some steam cleaning plus some agressive dehumidifier use may nip it in the bud. In the long term you will need to fix the gutters/grading/footer drains so that you don't get any more water in the basement, or you'll be having the same problem all over again.
Sheetrock is also very susceptible to mold growth. The smell may be coming from the walls, rather than the carpet.
2006-07-07 18:12:01 · answer #2 · answered by Goldenrod 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have insurance? If you do immediately make a claim for the rain damage. It won't matter if you can save the carpet or not because there will still be moisture every time it rains. You need to have professional water proofing. The trapped moisture will always have an odor if it isn't removed. Good Luck. This is what is so great about living on top of a hill, the water always runs off and doesn't get a chance to get inside.
2006-07-07 11:01:58 · answer #3 · answered by Lets_see... 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Common sense alone would say to get rid of the carpet. Your health is far more important than a piece of carpet. Just ask people in the Gulf region about black mold after Katrina.
2006-07-07 10:59:23 · answer #4 · answered by In Honor of Moja 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-07-07 10:58:16 · answer #5 · answered by artpoz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋