it rained and water got in my carpet . it is humid/wet it smells bad how do i wash the carpet?
Rent a steam cleaner and purchase white vinegar. Sprinkle baking soda all over the humid wet carpet. let is soak into the carpet. Then using the steam cleaner and white vinegar start using the steam cleaner and try to soak up most all of the wetness. If you have a carpet padding under the carpet you will need to roll up the carpet and hang it over a dry area outside or in the garage to totally dry. As for the carpet padding you will need to try to suck out the wetness from that too and get it dry. Even using old towels will help. If you can also pull the padding up it will dry better too. When both the padding and carpet is dry. Sprinkle baking soda on the floor after it is cleaned and then lay the carpet padding back down. Sprinkle more baking soda down over the padding so this will help kill any bacteria and smells. Replace the carpet and vacuum the carpet and it should have taken care of the wet carpet and smells. However the carpet got wet it should be fixed that it will not happen again. Carpets and padding don't last long after so much water has set into the carpet and padding. That is why it should be thoroughly dry before putting them back down on the floor. Yes this sounds like a lot of work, and it is but the water needs to be completely out of the floor and padding, and carpeting to last as long as you can keep it in good condition. It will also help your floors to not mold.
Carpet odor sanitizer then dry with fan to dry as quick as possible
If it's been more than a day since this happened your carpet is probably already ruined. Mold and/or mildew can set in very quickly and no amount of carpet cleaner can get that out. Also - check the back of the carpet - if the latex backing peels away from the carpet, it delaminated and there's no saving it.
