You can do this yourself or call a professional for help.
Carpet damp after cleaning.
After a professional clean you can expect your carpet to feel wet or damp for at least six to ten hours.
Another good reason for a funky carpet smell is an old stain.
If you don t have insulation and you dry out the basement quickly you don t have to replace the drywall.
However if your carpet is still wet the day after you have it professionally cleaned typically this is an indication that the company you hired did something wrong.
Many decide to choose a deep cleaning service exactly because something or someone stained the floor.
Proper carpet cleaning performed by the vast majority of companies does not cause mold.
Steam cleaning wet carpet removes any toxins and deodorizes it.
Snap a chalk line cut the drywall with a recip saw and toss the wet stuff.
Most of the possible carpet odor reduction that can be accomplished will be accomplished by the cleaning itself.
The treatment should take place after cleaning and for best results should be gently brushed into the carpet while it is still damp.
If you must walk across the carpet to get to another part of the house do it 30 minutes.
Ideally avoid heavy traffic and keep children and pets off the carpet for at least 6 hours after cleaning.
The leading cause for a bad smelling carpet after cleaning is that the carpet backing absorbed some of the moisture in the process and is still wet.
However some rugs can feel moist for up to 24 hours depending on the time of year and humidity.
You may find that after just 8 to 12 hours a very damp carpet will begin to take on a musty or old smell.
Reasons your carpet smells bad after cleaning it.
Steam has a high enough temperature to kill any toxins and also removes the toxins when the steam cleaner sucks up the dead mold spores.
The short answer is that proper carpet cleaning does not cause mold.
The longer a carpet stays moist the more potential there is for mold and bacteria to begin growing in the carpet.
If not dried properly the underlying material becomes susceptible to mildew problems which can cause the musty smell.
Having a damp carpet smell after cleaning should not be neglected.
Deodorizing and pet odor treatments.
Carpet is not intended to be saturated with large amounts of water nor is it meant to be damp or wet for long periods of time.