I found that a pipe was leaking intermittently onto a corner of carpet in a room I don't use much, and so about a square meter is pretty damp and smelly. I'd like to keep the carpet if I can - how do I treat it to get the damp and smell out? Thanks! Andy
How to clean carpet after prolonged damp??
May 22, 2006
13 Replies
clean it and dry it, using a carpet cleaning machine.
NT
Lift the damp area of carpet and support it on something for a few days so that the carpet and floor area completely dry out. Vacuum when dry, then shampoo. Depending on the general state of the carpet you could just clean the affected square metre in the corner by hand using a solution of 1001, Vax or Astonish carpet shampoo, through to cleaning the whole carpet with a hired carpet cleaning machine. Repeat vacuuming and cleaning may be necessary if the smell persists.
A professional carpet cleaning firm can use deodorising shampoo but that aint d-i-y.
Why isn't that DIYable? Anything that professionals do is capable of being DIY. There is nothing special about professionals, they are only people. Its just a question of time and effort.
The message from "Phil Anthropist" contains these words:
Ah, is this uk.get-a-little-man-in again?
OK, if you want to be pedantic, it is DIYable, if you can obtain the deodorising carpet detergent that the carpet cleaning firms obtain through their trade suppliers. Standard carpet shampoo is normally supplied with hire-by-the-day carpet cleaning machines. Deodorising carpet detergent can be bought but is usually in 5 litre containers and with carriage it works out very expensive, especially if all you want to do is one room. I don't think it is only a question of time and effort, it is also a question of cost.
Time and dryness.
Thats what I said.. time and effort.
Thanks guys - I'll dry it out and get some carpet shampoo to clean it. It's already drier and the smell has almost gone. Andy
Have got any product names that I can chase up please.
Dave
You can hire a Rug Doctor machine & buy detergents in Homebase or Focus DIY
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up Janitorial Suppliers in Yellow Pages and find your nearest Prochem distributor
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they will happily sell single bottles of specialist chemicals.
I asked about the products, as I have a part time job as site supervisor at the local primary school and I have access to all sorts of suppliers. I'll have to find out if Prochem are on the counties list of approved suppliers though.
Many thanks for the link.
Dave
Hand cleaning isnt very effective. Prolonged wetness causes rot, causing staining and smell. Thorough cleaning witha machine would be very much better.
NT
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