Many people assume that a well-vacuumed carpet is a clean carpet. A rug or carpet that has been vacuumed may appear to be unsoiled, but even a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner does not pick up all of the bacteria, pet dander, pet proteins, mildew, and other substances that can become trapped in the fibers of your carpet. These substances can build up and cause unpleasant odors that you notice every time you walk into a room. If the odors in your carpet are concentrated or pervasive, you may want to consider hiring carpet cleaning Melbourne professionals to deal with the problem. For less troublesome odors, you may be able to deodorize your own carpet with some basic materials and know-how.

The types of deodorizing agents and procedures you should use to remove carpet odors depends upon the cause of the smell. Some causes of rank carpet odors that may require carpet cleaning are:

• Mildew
• Spilled foods or drinks
• Pet urine and dander
• Smoke

Mildew odors: If you live in an environment with high humidity, you have had flooding, or the carpet was not completely dried after a full shampooing, your rugs may begin to smell of mildew. Mildew is a difficult odor to overcome, and lightweight deodorizing powders will not remove it. Often, professional carpet cleaning is the only way to completely remove mold and mildew smells, because these substances can grow in the pad underneath the carpet. There are specialized deodorant solutions available to combat mildew, or you can try a mixture of 80% clear water and 20% white vinegar. You must be certain that the cleaning solution soaks down into the carpet fibers and underlying pad before you use a wet-vac to remove the liquid. After removing most of the moisture, shampoo the affected area again. Be certain to dry the area thoroughly, by opening doors and windows or using fans and space heaters to rid the room of all moisture.

Spilled foods and pet proteins: Pet urine, moist food spills, and spilled liquids such as milk will all deposit proteins and bacteria into your carpet's fibers. The chief cause of odors from these spills is growth of the bacteria contained in them. Both spoiled milk and urine spots continue to become more odorous even after the liquid dries because of this bacterial growth. The simple fix of sprinkling baking soda or deodorant powder over this kind of odor will not do the job. Instead, soak up as much of the moisture from the spot as possible by pressing a dry towel into it repeatedly until the towel comes away dry. Then, mix a little water into some baking soda to make a thin paste, and coat the affected rug area with the paste, rubbing it into the carpet fibers. Allow it to set and dry for a few hours, then vacuum up the residue before going over the spot with a steam cleaner, using a solution with pet-protein-removing qualities (these work for milk proteins as well).

Smoke: Unpleasant smells from stale smoke, either from cigarettes or from poorly-ventilated fireplaces, will permeate the carpets in your home. If smoke odors are offensive to you, encourage cigarette smokers to smoke only outside or in a bathroom with the fan on, because your carpets will not remain deodorized if the odors are constantly re-deposited. To remove mild smoke odors, dry baking soda should suffice. Sprinkle the baking soda powder evenly across the surface of your rugs and carpets, and then use a brush-broom to brush the powder into the carpet nap. Leave on overnight, and then vacuum thoroughly.

These deodorizing techniques will work on mild odors and those occurring in only small areas of your rugs or carpets. Stronger, more persistent odors, or those coming from large areas of carpeting, will require professional carpet cleaning Melbourne services. Excellent Cleaning, at 1-300-398-328, offers many options for cleaning and removing odors from your carpets.