Carpet-Wet

I had a crappy carpet cleaner come in on Monday to clean the carpet in the family room. Did a sloppy job and some of the stains look worse than when he began. The next issue was smell, the carpet did not dry on Monday and was still somewhat damp on Tuesday which created a foul odor. Today (Wed) I called in Chem-Dry to work the spots on the carpet and he also sprayed some type of mold liquid. Hopefully the carpet will dry out soon, but the smell is still there. I have the AC on 75 degrees and the ceiling fan on. Any ideas on what I can do for the smell and if I have any serious damage due to the carpet being wet - not drenched, but somewhat damp - for two days.

Thanks

Rindge

Reply to
rindge leaphart
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I have a daughter with severe mold allergies. We have a mold expert that we work closely with. His rule of thumb on carpet is that if it's been wet for 48 hours there is mold growing. The pad has to be replaced and the carpet has to be cleaned and dried properly. If you are a mold nut you are probably better off replacing the carpet, but most people will not have a problem with it.

Reply to
Brad

I hope you didn't pay any money to the company that did this, or if you did you should be demanding they come back out to your house and spend however long it takes to get most of the dampness out of your carpet. Carpet should be virtually dry after about 4 hours if done correctly.

If they won't come back out, you have a few options. Call another company and have them come out and reclean the carpet and charge the original company with the bill. If that doesn't work, go to Home Depot or Kroger (I think they still rent the machines) and rent of the carpet cleaning machines they have. Use a cleaner recommended by the machine maker (or just buy some of the Hoover chemical). The water in the carpet cleaner works best when hot, so you may want to put some water on the stove and heat it up to almost boiling temperature. Once you clean the room (and do this room-by-room), go back over it several times with just the vacuum running on the unit and pull as much water of the carpet as you can (this may take you the better part of the day with one of these machines). Once you have done this, then use your fans. Depending upon the outside humidity, you may want to open some windows (if the humidity is low). If you have space heaters, use them around the room. Keeping your AC on is a good idea to reduce humidity in the house, but keep in mind that the warmer the air in your house is, the more water vapor it will hold, so you may be shooting yourself in the foot by keeping it cold.

Reply to
Ryan

lower your humidity run the ac, run a fan, and dehumidifier, stop payment . You hired a hack who may have ruined your carpet.

Reply to
mark Ransley

Thanks for all of the feedback, but how do I tell if the carpet has been ruined? It is a professionally installed carpet so I can't rip it up and check for mold. Will the smell go away? The carpet surface is drying but the smell is horrid. Is there something I should treat the carpet with?

Thanks

Reply to
rindge leaphart

It sounds like you definitely have to replace the pad which means removing the carpet. It's not a difficult or expensive job. You just have to get a knee-kick to put the carpet back down.

Reply to
Brad

Get a pro out to look at it and get his advice in writing, in case you need to go to court

Reply to
mark Ransley

I bet the carpet cleaner you used had a "portable" cleaner. These machines have very little vacumn power. Typically the "steam"(hot water really) should only penetrate the carpets fibers and not soak down to the pad. I would disagree with the post saying to replace the pad. Your pad should have a moisture barrier that would prevent small amounts of water to penetrate it. Mold and Mildew only need 24 hours to form. Id suggest having another carpet cleaner with a "truck mount" cleaner clean your carpets. You may even get some more of those stains out. After he is done, request a mildecide to be sprayed on the carpet. Then send the bill to the other guy

Reply to
AMEADOR

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