So you want to clean your own carpet? For those who take the challenge, there are a few things you need to know before doing so. As a carpet cleaning company, we receive phone calls from time to time in reference to DIY carpet cleaning tips. Having said that, we also get calls from individuals that cleaned their own carpet and want to know how to fix the mildew smell coming from the carpet a few days after cleaning. Actually, this is pretty common and must be adressed promptly before it worsens. Let’s talk about it.

Yep, good old mildew odor from your freshly cleaned carpet. Just what you wished for, hours of hard work and money spent to end up with a nasty carpet odor! This odor is caused from too much moisture left in the carpet during the cleaning process…way too much! This must be adressed within 24 – 48 hours after cleaning to cure the problem in a timely manner. The problem is, most residential grade carpet cleaning machines have NO POWER and leave the cleaning solution in the carpet. The only way to remove the odor is to treat the carpet with a mildewcide if a proper cleaning does not fix the isuue first. Many times, the carpet will start to wick/re-soil a brown color and leave a stain. This is typically where the most moisture was left and that area must be treated to remove the mildewee odor and stain. Another option is to re-clean the entire carpet professionally and use a digestor to destroy the bacteria causing the odor…this can only be done in a minor case. Once cleaned again, the odor should subside and dry with no further odor or staining issues. If not, re-clean and use drying fans for a faster cure time. A standard drying time is 3-5 hours after the carpet cleaning. Most notice an odor problem after a day or so when carpet is left too wet..Here are the things to look for when dealing with a mildew odor problem after a carpet cleaning.

  1. Browning- Stain will be visual and brown in color

  2. Carpet will be damp to the touch

  3. mildew odor from too much solution

  4. carpet typically stiff and hard from solution residue

  5. carpet will look dirty from soil wicking

The bottom line, this type of problem can usually be fixed in a timely manner. Your best option is to re-clean the carpet professionally. The reason is, professional carpet cleaning machines have enough power to extract the contamination and dry stroke the carpet properly. Also, a properly trained technician should know the proper technique to remove the browning caused from too much moisture. Also, there are proper dilutions needed if using a mildewcide to clean the carpet without negative results, therefore leaving too much solution in the carpet can be avoided. These are just some of the ways to refresh and remove mildew odor from your carpet. In some cases the odor and moisture are in the padding. If so, then it’s possible the carpet and padding might need to be replaced.