# Cleaning a rug that's been flooded?



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

how big is it? if it's small enough, drape it over a line and beat it old school. then use baking soda or other deodorizers and see if that helps.

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Do what DangerMouse suggested and then buy some "Odo Ban". While it's still hanging on the line, spray it with the Odo Ban full-strength. That stuff will take any smell out of your carpet.


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## acyate (Feb 21, 2009)

It's about 5' X 8'. I live in an urban area so it would be difficult for me to drape it over a line. I could probably find a park somewhere a shake the stuff out of it. I never heard about odo ban but I'll look into it.


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

go to a janitorial supply house. There are many commercial grade deodorizers that work very well. Carpet cleaning would not include this but it is a common add-on service. Spray the back and the front of the carpet.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

I get a gallon of Odo Ban at Sam's Club for about $9 or $10. It's not harsh on fabrics and it leaves things smelling fresh. Have you ever found a damp towel that's been laying at the bottom of a laundry basket for a couple humid summer days? One cup of Odo Ban in the washing machine on a normal cycle even takes that musty smell out, so IMO it would probably work on your carpet.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

some grocery stores rent rug-doctor, that's a steamer/SHAMPOOER that should help a lot if you use odo ban or similar... seems to me just 'steam-cleaning' it would not be sufficient to remove odor in thick carpet. 
is this a decorative carpet, (oriental rug?, lace around the edges, for instance?) or a 5x8 'scrap'?
if it's an old or rare/valuable rug, i'd surely be careful what you use on it.
DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

> if it's an old or rare/valuable rug, i'd surely be careful what you use on it.


Good point!


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

I owned a large carpet cleaning company in the past. Store bought deodorizers will do very little to help. Steam cleaning alone activates an odor more than removes it. Oriental carpets need special care with their cleaning but deodorizers will not harm them. (but always test on a small part first)


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## onlinehandyman (Aug 21, 2008)

What I would like to know is how the carpet cleaning shop cleaned your rug. I have been a carpet cleaner/handyman for 15 years and can tell you that there are many ways to clean a carpet and some work better than others. Just because someone hangs out a sign does not mean that they are doing the right thing. The most important thing that I can tell anyone in both of my businesses is that before you get any work done, do your homework and ask a lot of questions. The main governing body of carpet cleaning is the IICRC. You can put that name into a browser and learn exactly the benefits of each carpet cleaning method and the best way to clean your particular situation. 

I can give you more carpet cleaning organizations that will give you the questions to ask, but start there.

An area rug that has been water damaged may not be able to be restored, but your best option is plant cleaning. You were right in taking it out and not having it cleaned at your location. Even truck mounted steam cleaning is not what you want here. This rug needs to be cleaned with the machinery that any reputable carpet cleaning plant uses. Find out exactly what your carpet cleaner did.


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## acyate (Feb 21, 2009)

Well, it's not really an oriental rug. It's a pile shag rug with threads that around about 2-3" long making it very difficult to clean. I just spent about $70 to have it steam cleaned and as far as I can tell, it's about the same as before.

I called another carpet cleaner and they told me they can scrub clean the dirt out. Paying for another cleaning would exceed the cost of the rug so why bother?

I'd like to salvage it if I can but it appears hopeless. If only it would fit inside a giant washing machine might do the trick.


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

it may be clean and still will not look clean. When dirt which contains sand that has very sharp edges it scratchs the fibers. Now the light is refracted differently than when it was new and less color is visible. This is what makes it look dull and dirty.


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## acyate (Feb 21, 2009)

I could tell it wasn't clean because I could shake the rug and see all the particulates come off the rug. I took a few sniffs of the rug and could smell water odor and even started sneezing soon after. The rug itself is a dark brown color making it difficult to visually detect stains. Regardless, it's all the debris and odor contained within that makes it easy to know that its not clean.

onlinehandyman, thanks for the iicrc info. I took a look at the site but I couldn't find any information on what specific carpet cleaning method is suitable for rugs/carpets damaged from water flooding. As for plant cleaning, the carpet cleaning company that cleaned the rug told me they steam cleaned it. Is there a difference whether steam cleaning is done on-site versus at the company location?


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## onlinehandyman (Aug 21, 2008)

There is a very big difference. Steam cleaning is a method used in your home. With steam cleaning we inject very hot water into your carpet and then suction it out along with the dirt via a very powerful vacuum. As I mentioned I have been doing it for many years. I know other carpet cleaners will disagree with me, but I don't think that it is going to do the job here. Especially if it is a lower end machine being used to do the work. If the rug were just slightly soiled steam would work.

I have seen plant cleaning done a couple of time - I don't do it myself, I have these type of rugs sent out to a company that specializes in it. The rug is laid out over a large area on a machine set up for just this purpose. Then they fully submerge your rug and wash it using special detergents. Basically they clean the heck out of it. Steam cleaning alone cannot reach this level of clean - I have seen the results many times. The reason that we steam clean in a house is because we cannot take out all of your wall to wall.

After the rug is cleaned it is then put in a drying room and stretched. 

This is the best method for your problem only as I now understand it the cost of doing this will exceed the value of the rug. Honestly I know that you like the rug and want to save it, but on a rug in that condition and of that value I usually tell my customers to save their money on any cleaning and just replace it - SORRY!


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

onlinehandyman and Bob Mariani are right on the money...

We do both. We steam clean in homes and we submerge oriental and area rugs such as yours after water damage. For thick shags, steam cleaning won't get deep enough into the backing to do any good and the vacuum won't be adequate to get any dirty water out. And forget the store machines.

Having said that, at 50 cents a sq ft with a $100 minimum for water damage, steam cleaning is realtively affordable compared to the $3 a sq ft we charge for submersion cleaning. The first is done in a day, the latter takes 5 days.


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## kevin2h (Jul 6, 2009)

If it is a removable carpet then take it out on the porch and wash it with powder detergent and water. This thoroughly cleans my carpets. Let it dry for a day and it should be ok.
If it can't be removed then i would suggest investing in a good quality vacuum.

http://www.chemdryclean.co.uk/


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## shimpy (Jun 29, 2010)

*To get rid of wet carpet*

Hi,

To get rid of wet carpet, firstly drag that wet carpet outside into a garage if possible.Start by using your wet and dry shop vac to suck out as much water as possible then use fans or heaters to dry it. Use a good quality cleaning detergent, ammonia or sanitizer because these products are preferred to ensure all mold and bacteria is killed.This will remove the odor of your carpet completely.If damage is more then contact to expert professional cleaners.

Thanks,
professional Carpet Cleaning Chester :thumbsup:


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## carpeter (22 d ago)

acyate said:


> I have a rug that I pull out of storage from my basement. The basement was flooded in the past and the rug has ALOT of dust, particulates, and odor contained in it leftover from the flooding.. It's a thick shag rug making it very difficult to just vacuum the stuff out.
> 
> I took it to a carpet cleaning shop and they claimed to have steamed cleaned it twice but some the dust, particulates and odor are still there. I'm still debating whether or not I should complain to the shop but I'm thinking that maybe the carpet pile is just too deep to really clean.
> 
> ...


Vacuum it, get a commercial cleaning pre-spray, agitate it in, then rent an extractor and suck it up. This would be a way for a homeowner to do it themsleves.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

@Carpenter you are responding to a 13 year old thread.


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