The sprinkling of baking soda and then vacuuming is excellent but you should also invest in a dehumidifier. If you rent, ask your landlord if they will supply one. Let them know you're willing to pay the little extra for the electric to run it to keep your lungs free of mold spores and keep them from having to replace carpet and padding :-) Win, Win ;-)
I have been absolutely impressed with Twenty Mule Team Borax sprinkled over the carpet, rubbed in, let set over night, vacuum up! It's amazing and really works cheaply. If you have pets or children, keep them off it until vacuumed up, and don't let them breathe it or any other chemical/soaps/ fragrances/ candles/ cigarettes, etc.
I have only pets and have seen no ill effects ever. I also have a Hoover Windtunnel vacuum and use quality vacuum bags to prevent recycling the dust/ particles it picks up. I consider that a medical expense to prevent illness. It's 6 yrs. old and is great. Most vacuums only give particles a new zip code and don't work well so consider that fact. The Borax needs to be vacuumed well, but is not as likely to be removed well if your vacuum is low quality, spews dust odors back into your room, or doesn't pick up well.
It's not too far fetched to literally mop a carpet with a tough new sponge mop, using a med. strong soap/ water solution, but it doesn't clean as well as you might like unless you. Use something like a weak Lestoil solution (1 cap per gallon water), or Spic 'n Span with a fresh lemon squeezed into the water. I had terrible luck with Baking Soda because it dries hard when wet first.
You could try a product called Permawash from Zinsser. It is a fungicide and mold and mildew killer. It says to cut it 5 to 1 with water, but for carpet you should cut it 7 to 1. You spray it on with a garden sprayer and let it dry.
It will not remove moisture though, it will just kill any mold and mildew which should get rid of some of the odor. I would find the source of the water problem and have that fixed first before you do any other repairs.
First thing to try is sprinkling baking soda over the carpet, let it set a few minutes and vacuum. If that doesn't work you need something stronger. Like a powder they recommend for animal odors in carpet. Same idea; sprinkle it on, let it set, vacuum. Good luck
Your floors are totaled. Your landlord needs to remove carpet and replace flooring. He probably does not have flood insurance, but that is his problem not yours. You may get sick from toxic mold fumes. Move out or get floor replaced immediately. Local city or county authorities can help you. Sorry for bad news. ps. I am an insurance adjuster
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Request: Musty Smelling Carpets (11/27/2009)
I came home from work the other day to a flooded bathroom (at least an inch of water on the floor), which of course seeped out and soaked my hallway and dining room carpets.
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Request: Musty Smelling Carpets
Archived on 11/27/2009
Hello, I came home from work the other day to a flooded bathroom (at least an inch of water on the floor), which of course seeped out and soaked my hallway and dining room carpets. I live in an apartment and called maintenance.
The now short story is the carpet guy came out and only extracted the water and didn't deodorize or anything, didn't even leave a fan to dry the carpet. Now my whole apartment stinks. I put down baking soda overnight, helped only a little. The apartment manager sent over the carpet guy again, this time he sprayed deodorizer and left a fan, but it still stinks. Any ideas please?
Karla
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RE: Musty Smelling Carpets
Try putting charcoal briquettes in several places around your room, this usually works. (04/26/2001)
When the carpet is dry, liberally sprinkle borax and baking soda 50/50 on the carpet. Let it sit on the carpet for at least 10 minutes. Then vacuum. It will remove the musty odor. You could also call your manager again, complain of the smell and insist that they shampoo the carpet. (05/01/2001)
RE: Musty Smelling Carpets
I have the perfect solution for you. I live in Florida and a lot of people use this product when they close up their houses and go north for the summer (not me *I am a year round Floridian). Dri-Z-air. You can buy it in the grocery store and it really works great. Just set little paper/plastic cups inconspicuously around your house about half full of the Dri-Z-air granules. The granules pull moisture out of the air and get rid of the musty smell really well. The granules in the cups will solidify as they absorb moisture. This means they are working. When all the granules in the cup have become a solid mass throw it out and refill with new granules.
I used this when my furnace overflow valve got blocked and flooded the hallway/livingroom/dining room and it worked great. It also comes in a flat disc that you can hang, but I prefer the granules. Give it a try.
Timing is everything. I "just" read a hint about carpets. Cut fresh lemons into quarters. Squeeze the juice liberally over the smelly area then leave the lemon peels there til they dry out and shrivel up.
This tip was originally for a car, and I believe it was 4-5 lemons for a car so you might have to get an economy pack for an apartment.
But it worked for the writer, who used it to eliminate throwup odor; and the car detailer from whom she got the tip had successfully used it to eliminate the odor from a spilled cooler of fresh shrimp. Weird, but effective I guess.
I do not recommend shampooing a carpet that has turned musty after a flood once it has been treated and the odour calmed down. The backing of the underfelt is what will smell and re-introducing moisture onto the carpet will re-activate the odour and you will have to go about the whole process of getting rid of the smell again. (02/13/2005)
Try kitty litter. I used that with great success when I've left the windows open in the car. (04/16/2007)
By Cathy
RE: Musty Smelling Carpets
We use Dri-Z-Air year around in our basement and RV. We have been buying it from the following store and they carry several types of units. We find that the crystals work better when you use them with the unit. We have tried it both ways and it does an excellent job removing moisture and that musty odor from the air.
nationalmarineproducts.com (04/22/2008)
