I recently moved into an apartment. At first everything smelled like smoke. Gradually the smell is slowly fading away, but it's still hanging around. My main question is how to get rid of a dirty smell in the carpet? It's new carpet but it smells like dirty old tennis shoes. I cleaned the carpets 4 days ago and the smell is still here. It smells in the living room and in the bedroom. My A/C was leaking and a portion of the carpet was soaking wet for a couple weeks before management finally got maintenance to come check it out. Is it possible there is mold under the carpet? Also if I leave my clothes basket sitting in my bedroom, when I move it the carpet under it is damp. Any suggestions on how to get rid of dirty tennis shoes smelling carpet would be GREATLY appreciated!
RE: Getting Rid of Dirty and Smokey Smell In Carpet
By Granny Lou (Guest Post)
I had Renters that supposedly DIDN'T smoke, but when they were moved out, the house smelled so bad I gagged from their smoke. I don't know if it was cigarette smoke or wacky tobaccy. It clung to the carpet and curtains and walls like a brown haze. I tried a lot of things and finally went to OXI CLEAN..mixed it up in my shampoor and cleaned the carpet first, the rug was so filthy I was afraid it would come apart on me and it was new when they moved in. Anyway I cleaned it and it smelled wonderful after I rinsed it with vinegar. Did the same with the drapes and curtains. It's a wonderful product.
You need a professional smoke cleaning service, plain and simple. They are the only ones that know how to deal with smoke smells in carpet and such, from cigarettes to house fires.
If everything smelled like smoke maybe there was a fire in the apartment. That would explain the wetness under the clothes basket, there may be water trapped under the carpet and that would promote the growth of mold. Confront your landlord and demand some answers. My family used to manage rental properties so I know you are owed a decent place to live and this sounds downright unhealthy.
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