If your home has recently flooded this is most likely the reason for the unpleasant odor.
My carpet got wet and smells like mold.
For every part of hydrogen peroxide used use five parts of water.
What s the best and.
If the carpet is an area rug then the carpet can be placed outdoors in the direct sunlight during the warm hot months of the year to dry the carpet.
Left too wet carpets can grow mildew and even mold in humid climates especially.
The smell will go away.
You may need a mold remediation specialist.
It s generally a myth that carpet cleaning can cause mold.
Peel back the carpet to see if the padding is wet.
If not dried properly the underlying material becomes susceptible to mildew problems which can cause the musty smell.
In all likelihood the solution used in the cleaning process was not extracted properly.
This is also a great remedy to remove the mold spores and eliminate the musty odor.
Things should never get to the point where your carpet smells musty after cleaning.
When a carpet smells musty or smells like mildew it can be a result of humidity or spills that fell onto the carpet.
This musty odor can take over your entire home.
You need to get the carpet dry and also the padding underneath if it is wet.
If the carpet gets wet again or the carpet is exposed to elevated levels of moisture humidity then mold growth and related odors will likely recur.
Not an ideal situation for any homeowner.
The leading cause for a bad smelling carpet after cleaning is that the carpet backing absorbed some of the moisture in the process and is still wet.
Other than the odor you will not know if the padding is still wet unless a moisture detector is.
The chemicals that kill the mold smell pretty strong in their right but give them time.
My old roomate unplugged his fridge for a day and the carpet around it got all wet and now it smells like a zoo and my new roomate is moving in tomorrow night.
The carpet may dry in time but the moisture in the padding cannot escape and will pose a problem.
If it smells like mold pull it back in an area to see what is going on.
It s feasible but it would indicate complete negligence or incompetence.
I wouldn t chance the health risks handle it properly from the get go.
When moisture gets underneath the carpet a musty odor will form.
No reputable company that actually knows what they are doing would over wet things to the point that mold occurred.
If you still have mildew and the musty smell on your carpet try using a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide.
My carpet got soaked with water now smells like mildew.
Even if it s only water a funny odor can accumulate over time.