[ABLECLEAN]

Hi Guys and gals

I cleaned aproximately 60m2 of carpet tiles in a community centre this summer using HWE. I instructed the manager to leave the windows open as it was a hot day and told her it would dry in no time. I was told that it was difficult to open the windows as they were protected by shutters and it was a long drawn-out job. I finished in the early afternoon and the manager said that she would leave the front door and the double doors into the room open until she went home. Three days later I received a phone call from the manager to say that she had gone away for the weekend and she thought it would be a good idea to shut all the doors and turn the heat up!!! (great condititions for mushrooms) When she opened the room there were actually fungi growing on the tiles. I said that it was her fault for not listening to me but as a gesture of good will I went back and power-brushed the surface, vacuumed, sprayed with Solubac and then bonnet-mopped the whole area. I told the manager that if the smell had not gone in 48 hours to contact me. Out of the blue yesterday I received a call from the manager to say that the smell was still in the room!! (after months). Can anyone tell me what I could use in a fogger to clear the moldy smell for good?

Neo

[Phillip Mold]

Please spell Mould correctly, I'm sure I have my own smell but its not that bad!

[vangaurd]

its his feet!

[Ken Wainwright]

Although it's never possible to be sure without an inspection, I would suspect that the cleaning isn't the  cause of the smell, but by re-humidifying the environment has highlighted an existing problem.

It would be worth checking beneath the tiles for moisture, otherwise forced drying will speed up the drying.  If you spray down a suitable de-odourant, it should certainly mask the odour for a while, but if the smells are not in the carpet, the elevated humidity levels could prolong the problem. If the problem is beneath the tiles, fogging may be of little value.

I would advise the customer of the problem as they could have responsibilities under H&S.

Of course, your inspection may find otherwise in which case the above could be a load of twaddle

And Phillip doesn't smell of mold, it's much worse than that. He uses a cocktail of Brut and Old Spice

Safe and happy de-odourising
Ken

[lands]

Brut and Old SPice? I thought he ribbed himself down with snuff

[John Kelly]

Fungal odour is very persistant even remaining long after the actual fungal growth has died off. As you say there was a fungal growth on the tile surface, this would have only been a tiny percentage of the actual mould with the majority off it growing in the carpet fibres.
I'm not sure how effective Solubac is against mould and mildew, I believe it is more designed for organic type odour problems such as vomit, milk etc.
After discounting, as Ken has pointed out, other possible causes such as timber decay, the solution would be to re-clean using HWE with very hot water. Pre-spray first and allow to dwell for at least 30 minutes with a designated fungicidal solution such as Prochem Microsan. Extract out again with Microsan in the tank. You need to do plenty flushing to remove the fine strands of Myceleum which is what will be causing the odour. After this the carpet needs to be speed dried using air movers and dehumidifiers.