DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi

Two days ago I cleaned our lounge carpet using a machine hired from a well-known DIY shop. It came up really clean but now, 48 hours later, the entire room absolutely stinks of damp. I read that this could be because the carpet pad is wet and that it is very unlikely to dry out any time soon and we will probably be stuck with the smell.

Has anyone had the same problem? If so, are there any good ways to deal with it?

John

jlc,
Open the windows on fine days, if you can't wait that long hire a de-humidifier.
end

Carpet cleaning, for beautification, and the removal of stains, dirt, grit, sand, and allergens can be achieved by several methods, both traditional and modern. Clean carpets are recognized by manufacturers as being more visually pleasing, potentially longer-lasting, and probably healthier than poorly maintained carpets.

Its smelling because its wet. If you have a small area rug or carpet that is wet, the best thing to do it is remove it from the floor and hang or lay it outside until it dries completely. However, if you are dealing with wet wall-to-wall carpet, or a carpet piece that is too large to remove, you may need to try to dry it where it lays. Otherwise, What you need to do is rent a vacuum designed for sucking moisture out of carpets, or rent a carpet steam cleaner that has an attached wet vac. Most vacuum sold for home use are for dry cleaning only and are extremely dangerous if used on wet carpets. Do not try to vacuum the carpet with your household vacuum unless it is approved for wet vacuuming.

I daresay that it is because your carpet is wet that the room is a little bit pongy. As a rule, make sure you empty your room of furnishings before you do a job like this again. I had a similar thing happen when I was painting and that smell just clung to everything about, I had to chuck out cushions, curtains, a memory foam mattress amongst others. It wasn't fun. If youre patient with the carpet, it should be ok after a bit, just heed the warning