Smelly carpet?

Question

I accidentally poured about a gallon of water on my bedroom carpet, but I thought it would dry by itself so I just left it there. Then the next day, the carpet smelled like a dead rat, so I put a fan there and dried the top with towels. The smell is very faint now. But I read that the padding might still be wet and mold might grow. I can't lift the carpet to dry it because I have a lot of furniture in my room. My mom says I don't have to, since my dining room was flooded before and it didn't grow any mold. But I'm still worried, so if the smell is gone, does it mean it's safe now??

Answer 1

get a carpet cleaneer maching at a supermarket they should have it it will make your carpet smell really good

Answer 2

its safe. that happened with me before.

Answer 3

Once it's completely dry (give it a couple days) pour baking soda all over the carpet, then vacuum it up.  It works like magic!

Answer 4

Woolite or Resolve for carpets is sold in most stores. They are cheaper then renting a machine, just spray it on, let it sit for a bit, then scrub the c**p outta your floor. Should help.

Answer 5

its not the carpet, its the underlay (or padding?)

it cant dry easily under the carpet, it will grow mold.

you can use cleaning machines, sprays etc but all they will ever do is mask the smell, not get rid of the problem.

Ive been pulling up/drying wet carpets for years, and everytime people say they will just try to dry it without pulling up the old underlay, i get called back a few months later when it still smells.

in a perfect situation you would lift the carpet, remove the wet underlay and replace it with new, and lay the carpet back down.

if you spilled the water in a corner or edge of the room this should be fairly easy, and you wont need to move so much stuff. In the middle of the room is alot harder.

it wont hurt to try cleaning it with machines etc.

And may get rid of enough smell that you dont notice it anymore, but there will still be mold/wet underlay under your carpet.

good luck :-)