LICENSED, FULLY INSURED & BONDED • FAST ON-SITE RESPONSE TIME

How to remove musty smells from carpets in your Columbia, IL home

Professional Carpet Cleaning

What to do about musty carpets in Columbia, IL

If you’re still smelling a lingering musty odor in your Columbia, IL home after some recent water damage, the culprit could be your carpet. Even fairly small floods and leaks can cause carpets to become saturated, and in the humid Illinois air, it’s easy for that to develop mildew. Luckily, in most cases, it is easy to remove in just a few easy steps.

Step 1: Vacuum

Start by running a vacuum over your carpet to pick up any dirt, pet hair or other debris trapped in it. This also helps catch the spores that cause mildew, although it usually isn’t enough to fully remove the odor. Use the most powerful residential vacuum you can find.
Vacuuming Carpets

Step 2: Clean

Most minor mildew problems can be taken care of with a simple homemade solution. Mix up one part vinegar to two parts warm water in a spray bottle, and then spray your carpet with it. Use a fairly generous amount, but not so much that you saturate the carpet. For best results, use a heavy-duty sponge or coarse cloth to scrub the mixture into your carpet.
Vinegar Spray for Carpet Odor Removal

Step 3: Add Baking Soda

After you’ve added the vinegar solution, follow it up by covering the carpet with a thin layer of baking soda. Baking soda has excellent odor-absorbing properties and will help soak up whatever smells the vinegar doesn’t catch.
Use Baking Soda to Remove Odors from Carpets

Step 4: Dry and Vacuum

Let the baking soda sit on the carpet as the vinegar solution dries. Don’t use a blow drier to speed up the process, as the vinegar and baking soda will kill more odors if they are allowed to sit for awhile. Once the carpet is thoroughly dry, vacuum it again to pick up the baking soda.

Vacuuming Baking Soda from Carpets

Step 5: Repeat If Necessary

This process is gentle enough not to damage your carpet further, but it may miss some mildew spores. If you notice that musty carpet odor returning, repeat the process.

Clean Carpets to Remove Musty Smells

When To Call the Pros

Musty carpet are a fairly common problem in Columbia, IL, and most of the time you can take care of it yourself. However, if the smell keeps coming back despite your efforts, there may be a hidden source of the odor that professional cleaners can help root out. If the damage was caused by a major flood instead of just a small leak, professional water damage repair specialists can also make sure that the floor underneath your carpet is undamaged as well as check for hidden defects in the walls and baseboards.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

If a Disaster Strikes

Rely on 45+ Years of Experience with Friendly Customer Service, Prompt Response Times & Expertise Restoration Services

Social Media

Most Popular

Categories

Tags

Related Posts