You’ve taken time and effort to clean your carpets, put everything away neatly only to discover that the carpet still smells. The musty, sour, or wet dog smell will leave you disappointed. How can it possibly smell worse after it’s been cleaned? This is a common complaint that comes with reasons and solutions.
 

Carpet Smells like Mildew

The most common reason that carpets still smell after they have been cleaned is that the backing or padding underneath the carpet has not dried completely. This will lead to mildew or a sour smell. The smell will linger until the backing and/or padding has dried completely. There is no easy way to dry the padding, it will just take time. There are steps you can take to prevent mildew from forming. You can clean the carpet again with a solution of white vinegar and water. This is an effective way to kill mildew and absorb odors. You can also open windows of use fans to expedite the drying process and space heaters can be used to soak up humidity.
 

Carpet Smells like Wet Dog

The common reason that carpets may smell like a wet dog is most likely the carpet padding again, but mildew is not the culprit. It’s more likely the stains that were present before you cleaned it. Food spills, animal urine and other kinds of spills get soaked into the padding and can be hard to remove. The cleaning process will reactivate the leftover particles and cause them to smell again. It’s normal to smell these odors for a day, no longer. If these smells linger after about two days, it needs to dry faster. You can use a germicide or odor neutralizing cleaner, but getting the carpet wet again will make the smell more prominent. The padding needs to be dried completely to eliminate bad smells.
 

How to Get Rid of Carpet Odors

There are other ways you can eliminate odors as the carpet dries. You can put bowls of vinegar in the room for a few days. You can also sprinkle some baking soda over the carpet while it dries. Once the carpet is dry simply vacuum it up. Kitty litter is a great way to deodorize the room. Place some litter in a bowl or two and put them in the room. It will work like the vinegar at eliminating odors, just keep the cat away or you might have another problem on your hands! Borax can help reduce odor because it kills mold. Sprinkle it over the carpet and use a broom to rub it in. Allow it to sit overnight and vacuum in the morning.
 

Drying Carpet After Water Damage

If carpets still smell after a water damage cleanup, it’s probably due to mold or mildew underneath the carpet. This is serious and can be harmful to your health. Mold can be killed, but you will need professional mold remediation to have your carpets cleaned thoroughly. Carpet and padding may need to be removed completely to ensure safety. You should never ignore carpet smells after water damage.
 

Carpet Cleaning Services & More in Tracy, Livermore, San Ramon, Dublin, Mountain House, Walnut Creek, Danville & the East Bay of California

Avoid smells that are common with wet carpet by hiring the professionals at Carpet Care 2000. Our equipment, methods and experience will have your carpets dry in no time. Give us a call today!