We had a major storm here Friday night. After it passed, I found water in a corner of the finished basement. It was enough to soak the carpet (but not cause standing water) from one corner to about 8 feet in every direction.
On Saturday, I found the probable cause - a mole or rabbit hole next to the foundation. I filled it.
I used our Rug Doctor to extract much of the water from the carpet, and opened a nearby window. But we are still getting a mildew odor.
I’m calling the insurance company to see if we have any coverage for this. If we don’t, what is a low-cost way to get rid of the smell?
How do you know it’s mildew? Flooded basements can have various sorts of rank odors after the water goes down. I’ve smelled a good number of post-flood basements in public buildings here in Houston–where most houses don’t even bother with basements.
Here’s a guide to post-flood cleanup. It’s really meant for disastrous situations but you might pick up some hints.
First utterly amateur suggesiton: Lose the rug & check out the floor underneath…
Everyone I know who has had water damage has used giant fans to dry everything. I don’t know the particulars of how they were obtained but suspect they used those clean-up companies that fix everything from water damage to Pulp Fiction-style murder scenes. The fans apparently have to run several days.
Once again, I get to post about zeolite: A natural mineral that will suck the smell of anything out of anything. Buy it in a natural food or pet store.
Well, now that you’ve got the wet stuff out in the open, you can dry it. I’m not an expert, so I don’t know how long a carpet pad can go before getting mildew. If you get some big fans or can drag it outside to dry, maybe you can get away with it this time.
Hopefully someone with more experience in this will come along.
We tried for years to keep carpets in the basement even though it flooded every now and then. You can sort of get the mildrew smell out for a while but it’s still there. The next flood or even high humidity and the smell is back.
the carpet is gone. One can’t get the smell out of it for good. Once the mold spores set, no amount of drying will get rid of them. Heck, they can survive in space as spores, a few days of dry weather isn’t going to kill them.
Toss the carpet and get some throw rugs. They are easier to throw out.
Throw out the carpet and the under pad. Cut off a foot or so of the drywall. Throw out any damp chipboard, be it wall or furniture. Spray the entire area with Concrobium (or if the dampness is widespread, then fog the room with Concrobium, but remember that it will leave a white film). Vent the room and keep the fans on until everything is bone dry dry.
