Any ideas on getting odor out of water damaged carpet?

[corvetteDan]

Gents, I had such good luck with my questions on the 4+3 trans that I thought I may ask for some other great ideas from the readers.

Does anyone have any tricks for getting the smell out of water damaged carpet? I have tried cleaning with my home carpet steam cleaner, used after market cleaners etc and still have an odor after the car has been locked up for the night. (damp musk odor). I suppose it would be due to the carpet mat getting damaged due to the water. The carpet is in great shape and I would rather not replace it unless this is the only way. However, I am just about to the point that I would replace the entire mat and carpet to get rid of the odor. Thought I would check here for any ideas before shelling out the cash for carpet.

Thanks

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Odo-Ban

I've tried a product called Odo-Ban when I had an ill cat with an incontinence problem. Odo-Ban was the only product that would eliminate the urine smell from the cat-towels (retired bath towels) I used for him.
I purchase it at Sam's Club, but I've never used it for the purpose you require. However, if it can eliminate the cat urine smell perhaps it can eliminate the mildew smell from your carpets.
Heidi

Odo-Ban, product of Clean Control
PO Box 7444
Warner Robbins, GA 31095
www.cleancontrol.com
800-841-3904 Quality Assurance Hotline, M-F, 9-4EST

 

[kingman]

Water Problem?????

When did this smell start, after it rained, or was it under(flood damaged)?

The chance's are good that you have to take the carpet out of your vette to dry out and look underneath it to see if there is any mold there. This has to be cleaned up with bleach!

Or you can take it to a carpet cleaning service and ask them. I saw a post recently regarding cleaning carpets in Mass. and it only costed $30.

Alan

 

[jmccloud]

Smell

Had a Toyota pickup with that problem. Turned out it wasn't the carpet at all. It was the underlayment (rug pad). Pull everything out and dry it. If it stinks, replace it. Wash the floor pan with something like bleach but rinse well. When my kids were little, we used 'Axion' an enzyme soap. Thanks to the EPA it's no longer for sale. Look at the labels closely and there are some similar products in the grocery detergent isle (enzyme action). But you MUST remove and clean or replace the under pad to really get rid of the odor.

 

[corvetteDan]

hey thanks, The carpet is dry, but due to water damage somewhere along the way before I got the car the odor remains.
I think I'll check with a local shop and see if perhaps just the mat can be replaced. Seems a waste to toss the carpet as it seems to be in great shape. I agree that the mat is the problem. If the two cannot be separated then I just splurge and get the entire interior kit from ZAP and be done with it. Heck for what I have in the car another $1000 would be well worth the investment. May even put in some new custom seats as well.

I'll locate some cleaner of the sort outlined here and give it another try. Got time to fool with it as the car is not a daily driver anyway.

Thanks for the info........

 

[Sibexpress]

Head to PetzMart and pick up a bottle of Nature's Miracle.
Best stuff I've ever used.
Kinda pricey but worth every penney!

 

[Black Ice]

Why Carpet Fabreeze of course!

 

[Moonunit 451]

How 'bout baking soda and several days in warm sunnyweather wide open with good airflow, like a fan or something and a good mold and mildew eliminator.

 

[dburgjohn]

Bad Smell

Pepermint soap available in many health stores. My truck blew the heater core and dumped anti-freeze in the floor. I was trying everything to kill the smell when my wife gave me some of this soap.

 

[96Holly]

Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you???

Anyway,

Chances are that your mat (underlayment or shoddy pad) under the carpet has meldew growing in it OR it is a shoddy material that stinks when it gets wet. Typically this material is made of shredded cotton products. Once wet, oder can be a problem. I got a couple of sugestions:

1) Remove from the car the carpet and shoddy pad. Let it sit in the sun till it dries. If it was just water then you might be in luck. If it had other substances that would inhibit mold then go to the next sugestion.

2) Remove the carpet and shoddy pad. Peal off the pad off the back side of the carpet. Measure the thickness of the pad and then go to a floor carpet store or other suppliers of foam in sheets to your thickness. Cut it to the desired shape and glue on with hot melt glue. Sometimes a carpet supplier will even have a cotton shoddy pad for home applications. If not look for a higher density foam (Density like the foam in the seating) to keep your NVH levels to the current level.

D