Does anyone have any good tips for getting a mildew smell out of my carpet?

Question

We steam cleaned our carpet a few months back, and didn't realize it at the time, but our carpet machine was malfunctioning, and lost it's suction. The next day, we realized that the carpet was still pretty damp, and because it took so long to dry, it started smelling like mildew. Kinda like when laundry sits in the wash for too long. Well after a couple of weeks, the smell finally disappeared, but then my husband cleaned the carpet again yesterday, and today I am starting to notice that same smell again! He rented a professional machine this time, so I don't know what's causing this smell to come back again. The carpet is less than two years old, and in very good condition. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

I have a carpet cleaning business and have been called out numerous times to redo what others have attempted to do with insufficient equipment. The problem you have is that the chemical you used probably did not have a disinfectant in it, and with it taking so long to dry, you created a larger problem. There is bacteria in the carpet and padding. When you got it wet it reactivated the bacterial smell. You need to hire a professional to steam clean the carpeting with a bacterial killer and an odor release. Depending on your location, there is a minimum charge, here (central CA) the average is $75 and that can cover 2 areas. This would be a whole lot better and cheaper than replacing the carpeting and padding.
In reply to a truck mount that heats to 250 degrees, you should not use more than 180 degrees on a carpet, otherwise you will be breaking down the fibers and the dyes in the carpet. Also most of the newer carpeting is made out of recycled plastics, and too high of heat can also "melt" the fibers and void any warranty that you may have on it.

Answer 2

"He rented a professional machine" LOL

Sorry. OK, rentals are NEVER professional grade machines. They cost about $1000 max to buy one out right. My machine alone was $30,000.

Odors cannot exist without a moisture issue. I will list the things you can do to stop the odor in order of importance and my opinion (not cost effectiveness)

1. Call a pro. The carpets will be ALOT cleaner and they will dry a whole lot faster.

2. If you are gonna use a rental, use fans, fans, fans and more fans. Speed up that evaporation process.

3. Again, if your gonna use a rental, turn on your A/C, it acts as a dehumidifier. Or if it's cold out (most likely) you can open some windows and let in some cool air. Cool air is much drier.

BTW: In order to maintain your new carpet warranty, you are supposed to have your carpets "professionally" cleaned every 12 months (nearly every manufacturer requires this)

Answer 3

I had a similar problem myself. We steamed cleaned our berber carpet and it took so long to try that it started to smell like mildew. We discovered that all of the water had not been sucked out. The next time we steamed cleaned the carpet we put baking soda all over it afterwards (messy but it works) to get the smell out. Leave it for a while (we left it for almost a day) Then you suck up the baking soda. This got rid of the smell in ours. Good luck.

Answer 4

Work on removing the stain as soon as you notice it. The longer the stain is left on the carpet the greater the chances are of the stain setting.

In every case remove all excess wet or dry material before attempting to clean. Blot wet materials using a white terry towel (check helpful hints for a detailed description of blotting). Vacuum excess dry materials or gently scrape up materials with a spoon.

Mix 1/2 tsp. of dish washing soap or fine fabric detergent into 1 (8 oz.)cup of warm water.

Apply a small amount, blot or tamp and repeat until the stain is removed. Be patient. Complete removal may reqiure repeating the same step several times. Tamp down on the carpet, do not scrub as this may disort the texture of the pile.

Cover the stain with the towel and press down repeatedly to absorb the stain material and detergent.

Once the stain is completely removed, rinse the area with cold water; blot with a dry white terry towel until all moisture is removed. Repeat this process several times to remove cleaning solution residue. (Residue can attract soils).

If the spot or stain turns brownish when dry, mix 1 part white vinegar and two parts water. Apply a small amount and blot. Repeat only once.

Answer 5

Make sure the carpet is dried. Sprinkle on some baking soda, liberally on the carpet and beneath. Let it sit for a few hours. Afterwards, vaccum it up and the smell should disappear. repeat if necessary.

Answer 6

you could try re-cleaning the carpet once the steam cleaner is in good working order. (Or hire a different carpet steamer.) Then repeat the process using just a few drops of your favorite natural oil (in warm water only minus the detergent.)

Answer 7

The carpet pad below could have been still wet. What helps is Lysol. Just spray the carpet with it. Almost saturate it if you can. It will kill the mold and mildew in the carpet which in turn will help with the smell.

Good luck

Answer 8

now you will have to call a local carpet cleaner that has a truck or van mounted machine with at least 200ppsi
(pounds per square inch) and heat of at least 250 degrease and have them steam-clean it. and then have them rinse it with vinegar.
this will be much cheaper then pulling the pad

Answer 9

do not combination carpet air purifier with something, it is going to shrink the performance of the air purifier and could not be secure. fairly of employing carpet air purifier, rinse with the main well liked water attainable and attempt spraying with Febreeze allergen reducer. it would desire to help to apply a urine spray for puppy odors. My daughter peed the carpet one night after falling asleep on the floor and we would desire to not get the scent out even after shampooing countless cases. I used a puppy urine remover in my carpet air purifier and it worked super. additionally carpets should not be wiped sparkling with air purifier every time. you will possibly desire to circulate on an 18 month schedule of rinse, wait six months, rinse, wait six months and then sparkling. greater beneficial air purifier not rinsed out of the carpet might leave the scent and surely holds soil interior the carpet fibers.

Answer 10

The pad may need replacing, or cleaned & oziumed. Sounds like he sucked it to the surface again when steam "cleaning"