Ideally avoid heavy traffic and keep children and pets off the carpet for at least 6 hours after cleaning.
Carpet damp after cleaning.
You may find that after just 8 to 12 hours a very damp carpet will begin to take on a musty or old smell.
Most of the possible carpet odor reduction that can be accomplished will be accomplished by the cleaning itself.
To leave a carpet clean and not soaking wet after a professional cleaning takes that combination of experience to use the right amount of water to achieve a clean carpet and the dedication to spend enough time vacuuming off the excess water to leave the carpet not overly wet.
If you must walk across the carpet to get to another part of the house do it 30 minutes.
But if the insulation is wet it s gotta go wet insulation cannot be saved.
While the carpet is drying check the condition of the wall insulation.
Snap a chalk line cut the drywall with a recip saw and toss the wet stuff.
Many decide to choose a deep cleaning service exactly because something or someone stained the floor.
The leading cause for a bad smelling carpet after cleaning is that the carpet backing absorbed some of the moisture in the process and is still wet.
After a professional clean you can expect your carpet to feel wet or damp for at least six to ten hours.
However if your carpet is still wet the day after you have it professionally cleaned typically this is an indication that the company you hired did something wrong.
The treatment should take place after cleaning and for best results should be gently brushed into the carpet while it is still damp.
The longer a carpet stays moist the more potential there is for mold and bacteria to begin growing in the carpet.
If not dried properly the underlying material becomes susceptible to mildew problems which can cause the musty smell.
Another good reason for a funky carpet smell is an old stain.
Carpet is not intended to be saturated with large amounts of water nor is it meant to be damp or wet for long periods of time.
Proper carpet cleaning performed by the vast majority of companies does not cause mold.
If you don t have insulation and you dry out the basement quickly you don t have to replace the drywall.
You can do this yourself or call a professional for help.
The short answer is that proper carpet cleaning does not cause mold.
Deodorizing and pet odor treatments.
Having a damp carpet smell after cleaning should not be neglected.
However some rugs can feel moist for up to 24 hours depending on the time of year and humidity.