[simbo]

i cleaned a carpet a week ago very thick synthetic pile, cleaned as usual prespray agitate extract with f&f and left, the next day get a call because carpet smells.
I actually went back and re cleaned and put a deoderiser from craftex in and hoped that solved it. I have no clue what could of caused this and it is not your usual smell. Anyway a week later she has called to say it still smells slightly and they want to take it up and get a new one from me, from what i can see though the carpet is not damaged and products are available to solve the odour problem as is evident as it only slightly smells now.
I am not quite sure how to handle this a lady has been very good and already given me chances to sort out.
advise please as could happen again and would like to be prepared in terms of products etc
many thanks paul

[Dave Whittaker]

Have you had it up and looked underneath it? Might be an underlay issue....Did they have pets?

[clinton]

Did you leave the carpet very damp mate?It could be in the underlay now if it has been overwet?

[Dave Roberts]

You have to make a judgement on whether this customer has a genuine issue that may have been caused by your clean, or whether she is a chancer, who always had the intent of getting a new carpet out of you.   

One thing you could do if you have a turbo dryer, is offer to take back the carpet and leave the turbo dryer on for 12+ hours.  Then get a strong, powerful odour neutralizer (Alltec Odour Kill is good) and very lightly mist it over the underlay.  Put the carpet back down and give a more liberal treatment on the carpet itself.

[simbo]

tried very hard not to overwet, but very tight pile. Like i said i have run biocidal deoderiser through it and neat sprayed and brushed in and it must have improved an awful lot as no call back for a week. There were 2 or 3 small areas that were holding on to the smell so sprayed more there, thing is the rest of the carpet then smelled fine? she swears blind animals have not weed or pucked on it !!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have just ordered some kill odour from craftex and will see if she will let me try that but as far as i can see the problem is not down to me!!!!

[Colin Day]

Could the smell not be the latex, some of which has an awful cat wee smell? If so it's a manufacture design fault and she should be kindly advised to take it up with the carpet supplier.

Failing that, put your insurers straight on to it...

[simbo]

i did think it perhaps has something to do with the makeup of the carpet but smell has really reduced so given more treatment would go completely end of problem but i think she just wants rid now.
I don't really want to have to pay my excess when it could be sorted out.

[cleaningmaster]

Paul you dont say where the carpet is?

It sounds to me that you have slightly over wet it, or there was some kind of odour already in the carpet and by cleaning it, it has re- activated it.

I would do as davidr said but if it is in a bedroom i would use a ozone generator, but they would not be able to use or go in, for a couple of days.

Regards

Daryl

[Colin Day]

I think it's a waiting game really. Give it chance to dry out completely, in the mean time buy her an Ambi Pure air freshener and some flowers to mask the smell But reassure her that the smell will go!

[simbo]

The carpet in in a lounge on a concrete base obviously with underlay i am sure the smell will eventually go but customer does not want to waite. I have said i will be happy to re apply deoderiser ie mist and brush in but she seems to be angling for a new carpet, i am not going to do that as problem is solvable, she even had a moan about the smell of deoderiser which was chosen well and is cotten fresh. I have left the ball in her court for now but am really beating myself up about it as never had anything like this in 5 years and don't want to upset anyone
paul

[clive ware]

you could try a dehumidifier. Sounds like it just got a bit over wet. I`m sure the smell will go in time. A new carpet seems a bit extreme!

[clinton]

Might be the old felt underlay the comes to pieces if you pull it,and it could be damp in parts..

[simbo]

if it is damp i don't need to worry then it wil go on its own? could it take over a week though. I do actually sympathise with the customer, did wonder if they were making a lot of it though.
thanks to everyone for your help
paul

[John Kelly]

This problem often raises its head at this time of year. The humidity at the moment is extremely high, nearly 80% on some days. Humidity in the air has a marked affect on how things dry. The higher the humidity the less moisture the air is able to absorb therefore things dry out very slowly. Then what happens you clean a carpet, especially one with a deep pile and the moisture sits there on the carpet backing and deep in the pile for days on end. During this time the conditions down there are ideal for mould and fungal growth. This then starts to grow (you can't see it its invisible) and it is these moulds off gassing which could be giving off the odour. There are specific ways to deal with this and applying a deodouriser is not one of them. Most deodourisers are designed to deal with bacteria. So what you are doing is adding more moisture and an ineffective anti bacterial. Thats probably making the problem worse.
The easiest way to prevent these problems is to dry the carpet with drying equipment. Once the problem arrises you need to treat it with a broad spectrum killer which will deal with the moulds and milldew. Clensan is the most readily available product for this.

[simbo]

thanks john, that makes a lot of sense. Obviously not wanting to wet the carpet anymore when and how do i apply the clensan for best results and can i also add the deoderiser for better results.
paul

[hotsteam]

Why do people think they will get a new carpet if they try it on.
An insurance co will only pay what its worth, a carpet 5 years old probably worth 20 % of the purchase price 5 years ago.  Regards Hotsteam  :

[John Kelly]

Paul, use your nose to find the smelly parts. I know it looks silly but its the only real way to find out. Mix the Clensan as directed on the bottle and spray on. Don't mix it. It can only be used with certain other products. Explain to the customer whats happened (don't mention mould or mildew) just say that the moisture is remaining in the carpet due to the humid conditions and this is creating the odour. The smell usually goes anyway after a week or two so I would hang on a bit anyway.

[garry22]

paul,

Have you actually checked the carpet with a moisture detector?

I had a similar situation (not my doing) where a customer had a smell in the room that would not go away.

The carpet felt dry but when I used the detector, it was showing high levels, pretty much all over the carpet. I was amazed as the top felt dry.

It turned out that they were about to move house and the boxing up of the belongings had upset the dog who then had a few "accidents". The customer had then "cleaned" the carpet with a vax upright.

To cut a long story short, the underlay was sodden and had to be replaced.

It was a concrete floor and the moisture had spread right across it. I'm not saying you have flooded it like he did but it's worth, as the others have suggested, checking the underlay.

The good news is that we should have dry conditions until Tuesday at least.

Garry