Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet

By Janice from HI

Archives: Request: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Archived on 11/17/2009 What can I put on carpet that has been wet and now stinks? By pbawdon Feedback: RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet If it has a mildew smell, then it's got mildew, which is mold and mold is a health hazard. And it grows and spreads even in to the sub-floor and up into the walls, even if the carpet feels dry. Sorry to say, but it's most likely best to get rid of it and for sure get rid of the padding and find out how to treat the sub-floor, etc. to kill any possible mold that might have spread before replacing with new carpet and padding. :-( (07/29/2009) By Deeli Report Spam or Abuse Request: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Archived on 07/27/2009 We have fairly new wall-to-wall carpeting in our living room. It is thicker pile called "California Berber", it is only about three years old. We had an unfortunate incident and there was a lot of water on an area of the carpeting. Unfortunately, there is still a mildew-ish smell that comes from the carpeting. I am sure there is mildew underneath. We are not in a position right now to rip up and replace the carpeting, although I know that is the ultimate solution. In the meantime, does anyone have any ideas on removing the mildew smell? Thanks. Tracey from Westerville, OH Feedback: RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Get a bottle of OdoBan (spray bottle at Wal-Mart or Gallon concentrate at Sam's). Vacuum first, then spray area liberally. I'd put a small oscillating fan on the floor and let it run for a day or two to help dry the area. You can saturate the area with OdoBan. It won't hurt a thing and has a very clean scent. Good Luck. (04/16/2008) RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet My hubby does floors. If you are in the position to rip up the carpet in the area where the damage is (starting from the wall-no damage to the carpet), you can sprinkle baking soda between the carpet and pad and also the pad and the sub floor. This will cut down on the odor. You may also cut out the area of the pad and buy a small scrap of pad from the carpeting store. Cut the old piece out and cut a piece of the new to fit it. Use carpet seaming tape (you can get at Home Depot or the carpet store) to tape the piece of pad to the remaining pieces. You will notice when you pull the carpet back that this is how the padding is put together throughout the house. If you have a wood sub floor, take a staple gun and staple the pad to the floor around the edges a little and a few staples in the middle. This will make sure it doesn't move around. If you would like to try this (easy and very inexpensive) let me know and I will walk you through it. Or my husband can talk to you. You can also file water damage on your insurance and it will take care of replacing the floors and the labor needed. Check into this if you have homeowner's insurance. You can ask the workers at the carpet store or even at Home Depot for pad scraps. They normally have plenty. Get in touch with me if you would like to try any of these suggestions. I can walk you through them. Hope this helped. (04/21/2008) By Elizabeth RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Rent a carpet steam cleaner and steam clean the carpet a few times. Also try to pull up the carpet and make sure the foam has completely dried. The foam won't really smell and if it does it doesn't really matter since the smell won't come through the carpet. The real culprit is the carpet. So just steam clean a few times and use fans to dry it. (09/07/2008) By Robert P. RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Get a spray bottle. Get a funnel. Add baking powder. Add rice or white wine vinegar. Add almond or some other extract. Add hot water. Put lid on and shake. Spray over smelly area. (10/07/2008) By likalaruku RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Just got done fixing my carpet. If the smell is bad and not getting any better. You are just going to have to bite the bullet and pull up the carpet to change out the padding. The padding is what is keeping the smell going, not the carpet. (10/13/2008) By whoever you want me to be RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet I just had a huge ring of mildew from my Christmas tree removed from my shag-like carpet. First my husband washed it with a dilute bleach solution and then cleaned with a pet stain cleaner and Bissel cleaning machine. This got the stain out, but the horrible smell remained. The trick to getting the smell out is to scrub the area with a home-made cleaning solution. In a large bucket (this will bubble up a lot) mix 1/4 cup baking soda with 2 cups water and 2 cups white vinegar. Thoroughly scrub the area without soaking the carpet with liquid. Voila, odor gone. (02/06/2009) By Erica w. A well kept secret Antibacterial gel. Vinegar might help, but to kill the smell you've got kill the mildew. Buy a big bottle of antibacterial gel and test it on your carpet to make sure it doesn't discolor it. Afterward place it on the part of the carpet that smells. You'll see an immediate difference in about 30 minutes. This also works well with cars, if you leave your windows open when it rains. It'll kill the mold. Don't mention it. (02/17/2009) By tonyhouston Report Spam or Abuse Request: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Archived on 04/16/2008 I live in a two bedroom apartment and my water heater broke over the weekend and my a/c went out as well. The maintenance man came out and used a dry vac to suck up the water but since there wasn't any air conditioning for two and a half days the apartment now smells like mildew and mold. Any solutions? Sarah Answers: RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Have you tried Febreeze? It works on most anything. Another good option may be baking soda, sprinkle generously, allow to sit for a few hours and then vacuum up. May require more than one treatment. Hope this helps. Danndgal (11/28/2004) By Danndgal RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Try removing that Mildew Smell from your Carpet by placing a large bag of charcoal in the middle of the room. Make sure you open the bag and let it sit for three days. This should remove any unwanted oder in any room. It works good for unwanted smells in vehicles also. (11/30/2004) By Daisy RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Fill a spray bottle with water, add about 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and spray the affected area and the smell should go away. Depending on severity of the mildew smell, may require two applications. Hope this helps you. Used car dealers use this trick to remove odors from cars before selling them! Good Luck (11/30/2004) By Bevie1 RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet White vinegar and water. Works on pet, vomit stains/spills too. Vinegar naturally deodorizes the smell. After blotting and allowing it to dry, I would spray some Febreeze on it. This might take a few applications. Mildew is hard to get rid of. Health wise I'd check into finding out that it isn't harming your environment. (12/03/2004) By Jennifer RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet I would pour some baking soda directly on the area & leave it there for several days. After that, vacuum it up. It should at least HELP the smell, even if it doesn't remove it all together. (12/31/2004) By FrugalFriend RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet I would try the vinegar spray but I would also use Lysol. It kills germs and bacteria. Mildew means mold of some sort is present so until you kill it it will continue to grow and cause odor. (02/21/2005) By Barbie RE: Carpet odor & grimmy feeling on carpet Hi, I moved into my condo 6 months ago and cleaned my beige carpet twice already. Some parts of the carpet feel grimy or gooey and smells. Also, a few spots are hard and yellowish. Any thoughts please. Thank you. Lees (06/12/2005) By Lees RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Oh wow...just be very cautious. You should really get rid of the carpet and padding beneath it for you and your families health. We had storm damage from Cindy and Dennis! We've got brand new carpeting in our bedroom and living room now. You don't want to mess with mold. Perhaps you have a nice wood floor beneath the ruined carpet. Please have it checked out. (07/26/2005) By HolJen RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Honestly if I were you and if this incident is not your fault I would complain to management about it and seek out a transfer to a new apt in the complex. It is worth a try at least. Either attempt with vinegar to rid the smell or find a new home. (07/26/2005) By texasteacher RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet I have heard to sit little bowls of bleach in the area, change it every 2 or 3 days. Of course if you have a pet in the house, that could be dangerous to it. (07/26/2005) By Beverly RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Try Vanilla, on cotton balls. I do know it works for smelly campers with bonfire smoke all over and also for a smelly fridge, that we had stocked with crab to bring home, talk about a smell! YUCKIE, The vanilla took it right away in just a couple of days. You should contact the manager/owner of the apartment complex though, seems like it would be his/her responsibility to clean the air for you! (07/26/2005) By rosa RE: Removing Mildew Smell From Carpet Stanley Steamer makes a bottle of Odor Out for carpets. It works wonders. I have used it on Urine spots, vomit, mildew, spilled milk that soured in the carpet. (09/10/2007) By Stephanie Report Spam or Abuse