Flood bathroom, wet smelly carpet

[Onyx]

My bathtub overflowed (argh) and I had to clean up about an inch of water in there and in the hallway with a shop vac. I got it fairly dry after much backbreaking work, but after a couple days now it has a mildewy smell.

I want to get rid of this odor fast because I have a party coming up for my daughter here. I've got fans on it to dry it the rest of the way but they are slow going. I think I'm going to go find a dehumidifier if I can.

I've read about spraying white vinegar to remove mildewy odors but I don't want to even think of wetting it down any more than it already is.

I've also read about using baking soda, but I think the carpet needs to be all the way dry.

Any more ideas? I'd prefer ones you have personally tried and found effective. I'm so pressed for time (three days and one afternoon and my place will be full of second graders) I don't want to experiment and maybe make it worse.

[Fierce Critter]

To dry things fast, I've used our hair dryers. I'll prop the typical one (gun-style) up with it blowing directly on the spot that needs to get dry. Move it when that spot gets dry (you can aim it straight across the floor to dry a larger area).

Also, we have one of those old-fashioned portable bonnet-style ones, with the cap & coiled hose. I just lay the cap over the spot and it'll be dry in a while.

I read these tips online:

"I once left a sweater soaking in my laundry tub and that was the night the water softener went off. What a mess. A friend lent us there wet dry vaccum to get most of the water and then we put down lots of newspaper. As it got wet we kept replacing it. The print in the paper absorbed the odor and when we sold the house you never would have guessed that it was once covered in water. Not sure if this will work if the carpet is already dry. Hope this helps you. "

'I once had a bulkhead leak into my basement after the snow/ice melted. There was a lot of water in the basement carpet and padding. I first used a shop vac to get a lot of the water out. Then I rented a "floor blower" It was a high power fan at ground level, almost seemed to pick the water out of floor. I had it on the floor for about three days, moving it around the floor periodically. Worked great, I would use on again. Hopefully I won't need to! Good luck." (You can find these at equipment rental places)

This is a website I found with some good tips, including what temperature is best to set in your home to facilitate drying, things to use to sop up water, ways to de-odor, etc.

Rental management - drying carpet

Good luck!

[Onyx]

Thank you!!! Going off to read more..

[torn asunder]

i have excellent results with - believe it or not - febreeze! gym bag, mildew, even cat urine!! i love that stuff!

[Onyx]

Thanks! I really appreciate the info.

Running out now to pick up some Febreeze, newspapers and maybe a dehumidifier if I can find one cheap enough.

*sigh*

Kids never know what trouble we go to for them, do they? heh.

[Head Wreck]

febreeze rocks.

cant belive you didnt allready have some

i even keep some in my weekend camp kit

[TomCat]

For masking (short term only) Febreeze is good. Make sure the subfloor, padding, and wood below the tub aren't damaged from the water. Mold will fu@& up your home, if you let it take root. I'd know, I'm an indoor air quality expert, and I hunt mold as part of my job. If the wood is affected, use a 2:1 water to bleach solution to clean any "growth." Then allow it to air dry. Bleach is good, but avoid contach with anythiing like that carpet (it'll eat the color out of it) Good luck.

[Onyx]

Update -- I did go to buy the Febreeze but when I picked up the container I remembered why I don't buy it. The smell of it tends to trigger migraines. I think it's the perfume in it. I am reactive to so many things.

The mildewy smell is now all gone, and I mean completely! I can even get down close to the carpet and I don't detect anything (and I had my daughter check also and she says it all smells fresh now).

The newspaper seems to be what did the trick. I also put a little baking soda sprinkled and raked in, but I didn't notice a difference until I put the thick layers of newspaper down and changed them a couple of times.

Newspaper seems amazingly good at absorbing water and odors.

[gothicmom]

Newspaper seems amazingly good at absorbing water and odors.

I did not know this. Did you use it like you would towels?

[Onyx]

I guess you could, but I'd be sort of afraid of the ink leaking.

I used one of those shop vacs to suck up all the water I possibly could, going over and over it again and really concentrating on getting every square inch as dry as possible, then used the newspapers and we walked over them to be sure they were down tight. It worked so well I was really surprised.

[Fierce Critter]

I'm so glad that worked for you. I wouldn't have thought of it myself.

I was also going to suggest Febreze, but couldn't remember the name of the product. I don't get migraines from scents, but perfumy smells give me a hell of a headache.

In our old house, I accidentally dropped a half-full plastic gallon jug of citronella lamp oil. The brittle plastic shattered and the oil went EVERYWHERE. The reek was overwhelming. After sopping up as much as I could with paper towels & mopping, I ended up sprinkling a huge amount of baking soda over the floor & into the cracks where the wall moulding meets the floor. It took a week, open windows and a couple changes of the baking soda. But it did the trick.

[paradox]

though the oder is gone, i recommend pulling up an edge of the carpet and looking underneath for any signs of mold or mildew. carpet that is wet longer than 24 hours will develop mildew and mold. it might persist even though the surface is dried.

its good that you shopp vaced, but that (obviously) wont remove it all. if anyone has a flodd problem, get the water out asap then then set up as many fans as you can. i also recommend pulling it out and putting the fans under the carpet to dry the padding (your biggest concern).

a bad flood, call a cleaning company or flood specialist. they have the proper equipment to do the job right and the know-how. make sure they are licenced and certified.

the key is to get it dry asap. i also recommend a steam cleaning after it dries, especially if its a sewage flood, but even if its not, it helps.