Cleaning and Stain Removal - carpet odor removal

I knocked over a vase of flowers, over a rug and wooden floor, the water was rancid and I cannot seem to get the smell of rotting vegation out of my dining room? I cannot afford to have it profesionallycleaned any ideas?

Carpet and cushion that remain wet 24-48 hours can cause mold and mildew problems. Liquids tend not only to settle downward but outward 3-5 times the size of the surface area. Enzyme digester cleaners/deodorizers can be used to clean carpet, but not cushion below. Pulling carpet back and turning on fan and dehumidifier will expedite drying of cushion and carpet. If odor remains in cushion and subfloor beneath, old cushion can be cut out and subfloor sealed before replacing new cushion and reinstalling carpet.

I appreciate your advice but cannot cut a lump out of it!!!

Sorry, I thought we were dealing with carpet here. For an area rug, you can clean both back and front sides with enzyme digester cleaner/deodorizer for organic stains and odors. The trick is to give the enzymes time to digest the odor and any stain. If rug is too large to hang, place a milk crate or other object underneath and run fan and dehumidifier to expedite drying. Enzymes can not be used on wool or silk because they are organic.

Hardwood floor with polyurethane finish can be cleaned with 1/2 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon water. Spritz on rag or cotton mop to clean. Buff dry with old towel in direction of wood grain. Any rancid water that entered between gaps in flooring and entered subfloor will not be able to be cleaned. If spill was not wiped up immediately, then it's likely very little made it to the subfloor. Enzyme digester cleaner/deodorizer can also be spritzed in the air for control of organic odors.

Am I reading this correctly, the water soaked into the wood and created a lump?

No the water has not created a lump in the wood but I cannot find any products for enzyme digester cleaner/deodorizer for organic stains in the UK. I used vinegar, but the smell persists, in an underlying way. I tried vanish stain remover. Do you know of any Uk products that would help. Also is it safe to use vinegar on a stained and varnished wood floor?

i am selling my house and have buyers coming on thursday and need to reslove this ASAP

I used vineger on a stained varnished wood floor to remove pet urine stains , it did no harm to mine -I also covered it with plastic so the vineger would not evavporate

Enzyme digester cleaner can be found at a local pet store. These are marketed in the US under a variety of names such as Nature's Miracle, Out, OdoBan, and others. In the UK there should be products available like Liquid Alive, Bioshield, and others. Remember enzyme cleaners work very well if given time to do their job. This means that they work slowly. Check where cleaning supplies are sold. If in doubt, contact a professional rug cleaner.

With buyers coming on Thursday, it is doubtful that you can DIY and get rug properly cleaned dried out before then, especially if rug is overwet. If odor remains that offensive, you might want to remove rug temporarily until after they leave and bring it back inside to finish drying out or to repeat cleaning.

Removing rug might be to your advantage, especially if in a small room, as rugs often tend to define small spaces. You will miss your rug, but buyers will not know that it has gone missing.

Your first post indicated that the odor was in the rug. Your third post indicated that it is in the wood floor. Wood floors sealed with surface finish, such as varnish, can be wiped clean with vinegar/water solution (repeat if needed). For rancid water, as with urine, if liquid passed through gaps into subfloor, it will be impossible to clean. Odors will be more evident on more humid days.

"The smell persists, in an underlying way"--spraying enzyme cleaner/deodorizer onto affected areas and into the air will give enzymes the opportunity to digest organic odors. Spraying products, such as air fresheners, that simply mask odors will provide a temporary coverup.

I will try that thanks for the advice!!!


I used vineger on a stained varnished wood floor to remove pet urine stains , it did no harm to mine -I also covered it with plastic so the vineger would not evavporate