I had a small flood in my home. cleaned my carpet and now it smell rotten. I think my baseborad is also wet?

Question

the flood was from a plugged toliet. we used a shop vac to get most of the water up and then put fans on it to dry it. The next morning we used a capet cleaner to soak the rest of the remaining water and to clean the carpet.Everything looked good then we left for a few hours and came home to a gross smell in our house. We still are using fans for drying , but now are worried the smell is taking over our 2500sf home.

Answer 1

I think you should hire a professional. If the water came from the plugged toilet  the water had lots of bacteria in it. You could be facing a health issue, not just an odor problem. Professional carpet cleaners can do a much better job at resolving the issue.

You may need to take the carpet up if the subfloor got saturated...I don't know of any way to dry it quickly with carpet still attached. Again, with the whole toilet water issue, you should consult a pro.

HERE'S SOME HELPFUL INFO -

The toilet tank does not contain enough water to overflow the toilet. If it doesn't flush properly the first time, DON'T FLUSH AGAIN - that's when you'll get a flood.

Answer 2

You will almost certainly have to pull up the carpeting, I'm sorry to say.  You could try just cleaning the carpeting with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle and a rental carpet cleaner.  I wouldn't give much hope for that solution, but if you're really averse to pulling the carpet it's worth a try.

I didn't notice that you had used any bleach during the cleanup--with carpeting that's not a good idea, but in your case, if you pull up the carpeting you should go over all the flooded areas with a solution of water and bleach (3/4 cup of bleach per gallon of water) and a scrub brush.  Bleach kills mold and mildew spores and bacteria, all of which can make a bad odor.

Also, if the water did get behind baseboards, it's possible it has wicked up into the drywall and gotten between the wall's bottom plate and the subfloor.  If that's the case, it may take awhile for it to dry out.  But, again, you should clean that area as best you can with bleach solution before you let it dry out.

If the water was more than 1 1/2" deep (that would have been quite a toilet flood, but it happens) you should really pull all the baseboards off and inspect the damage.  You may end up replacing the lower part of the drywall (or plaster) wherever the water touched.  You might also have to replace saturated subflooring and anything that might have gotten saturated in the floor below (if this is a second-floor bath or you have a basement).

Keep in mind that, although it's unlikely, the bleach solution MIGHT discolor your woodwork if you have natural or stained woodwork.  One way to protect woodwork is to use blue masking tape to mask it before you get out the bleach solution.  But don't spare the bleach solution--it is actually beneficial for some of the bleach water to get under the baseboard.

What to do about the carpeting?  I've read that once you pull it out it's possible to shampoo it thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle (use a rental extractor-type carpet cleaner) and then set it out in a sunny area with a hard surface (like a driveway, patio or deck) to dry in the sun.  The sun will tend to kill bacteria that cause the odor.  It may take a couple of sunny days to get the carpet completely dry.  You may then be able to replace the carpet padding with new, and reinstall the carpeting you pulled up.  

It's worth a try, but I wouldn't count on this solution unless the carpeting can't be matched or you can't afford new.  It would be best to get new carpeting.

Answer 3

Well, being a flood victim I replaced my carpet with tile but if you are encountering a smell please consult someone professionally (ask a builder in your neighborhood, Loews or  Home Depot) before you go any further and then have it replaced.

Answer 4

I had a rug that I clean by washing it completely, and it smelled TERRIBLE while it was wet or damp. Once it dried there was no odor at all. Keep running the fans. If it's cool where you are, turn up the heat. If it's humid, a dehimidifier or air conditioner will help.

Answer 5

You will have to have a professional come out.  Whenever septic floods the carpeting, you have to have it professionally extracted right away.  Not only to kill the bacteria but to get it as dry as quickly as possible.  Professionals also have detectors to determine if there is moisture in the floorboards.  Depending on how much water there was, the padding could be holding the moisture and bacteria that you are smelling, which will have to be replaced