Severe issue with carpets

Wouldy

I moved into a rental property just over two weeks ago. The carpet was cleaned before I moved in. The house itself us a very old house, heritage listed. 

One if the main issues us extremely old carpet with lots of old stains and it us work throughout. I have not stayed even one night in my house since I moved in. Just stayed with a friend while I sorted the issue. Long story cut short, the owner doesn't want to do anything about it. So, it us left up to me. I do not know what the actual smell is. I know the carpet us old. It just smells too potent to be old carpet. 

I'm very sensitive and the smell makes me feel sick. I have organised another carpet cleaning company to do my carpets but they can't come till May 11th due to our area and surrounds recently being hit by cyclone Seroja. 

So, I'm going to have to move in. I'm scared that I'm going to get ill. I don't know what to do to help with the smell until the carpet cleaners come in May. I don't want to spend money in things that won't work. The carpet has no underlay. It has always been a commercial building but actually no one will buy it. It's got too many problems and owner is asking for more than its worth. The real estate doesn't give a dam. I just want to sort my carpets so I can actually live in my place. Doing a wet carpet clean I feel is not a solution that will work either. It's already been done. 

Can anyone help? Thanks. 

MitchellMc

Hi @Wouldy,

Was the smell present before the carpet cleaning? If not, I suspect the property was closed up after the cleaning, and due to there being no ventilation, it hasn't had an opportunity to dry out. Damp carpet in an enclosed environment always develops a potent smell. It takes up to four hours for the carpet to dry adequately, and if the property is closed up within this time, the moisture has nowhere to go.

If this issue has occurred due to wet carpets, another wet clean with shampoos and deodorisers could assist. You'd want to explain the situation to the new company and request they make sure all residual water is sucked out of the carpet. You'll then need to ensure the property is well ventilated during the drying process. Alternatively, we hire Britex Carpet Cleaners, which can be used in suction mode to remove excess water before the drying process begins. However, most of the water has likely dried out at this stage, and only the lingering smell remains. Another wash with cleaners might be necessary, followed by a secondary dry pass to suck out the remaining water. 

Once the cleaning has been completed, I suggest placing several of these Sunfresh Moisture Absorber Containers inside on the carpet and leaving all doors and windows open for at least the remainder of the day. Once the drying process is complete, it would be a good idea to go over the carpets with No Vac 549ml Vanilla Professional Carpet Cleaner, which penetrates deeply into fibres and kills tough bacterial odours trapped in the carpet.

I feel the most pressing issue is ventilation, and I would encourage you to open up the property as much as possible whilst still having it secure.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Mitchell