Smelly rug? How to get rid of nasty odours effectively

A rug brings atmosphere and warmth to your home, but when that rug smells, the cosiness quickly disappears. Nothing is more annoying than a musty, sour or chemical smell that lingers in the living room. Whether it's an old carpet that smells of 'wet dog' or a new one with a pungent factory smell: you want to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

In this article we dive into the causes of this stench and give you a concrete step-by-step plan to get your carpet fresh again. We discuss specific situations such as a smelly shaggy rug, odour problems with new rugs and what to do if your carpet starts to smell right after cleaning.

Why does my carpet smell? The 4 main causes

To remove the smell for good, you first need to know the source. Masking it with perfume is pointless if the cause stays put.

1. Moisture and mould (the 'wet dog' smell)

This is the most common cause of a smelly carpet. When a rug gets wet and doesn't dry quickly enough, bacteria and mould develop deep in the fibres or in the underlay. You often smell this as a sour, musty odour.

2. Trapped dirt in shaggy rugs

A shaggy rug starts to smell sooner than a low-pile one. Skin flakes, crumbs and hair build up between the long fibres. Over time this organic material starts to rot, causing a stale smell that you can't get rid of by vacuuming alone.

3. The 'new car' smell (off-gassing)

Have you just made a purchase and noticed that your new rug smells? This is caused by off-gassing. The glue, the dyes or the latex backing of the carpet release volatile organic compounds. It smells chemical, but is usually harmless and temporary.

4. Pets

Accidents happen. Urine soaks straight into the core of the carpet. Even if you remove the stain on the surface, the urine crystals in the underlayer can keep causing a pervasive smell, especially when it gets warm or humid in the house.

Solutions: How do you get the smell out of your carpet?

Method 1: The dry approach with baking soda

For light odours and freshening up a shaggy rug, this is a safe first step. Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) neutralises sour smells.

Sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda over the whole rug.
Gently brush it into the fibres with a clean broom or hand brush.
Leave it for at least one night (or 24 hours).
Vacuum the carpet thoroughly.

Method 2: Deep cleaning (extraction)

If the stench goes deeper (for example from urine or old dirt), surface cleaning won't help. You need to flush the source out of the carpet. For this, use a spot cleaner (spray extraction machine), such as the Achaté Spot Cleaner.

How it works: The device sprays water with cleaning solution into the carpet and immediately sucks it back up powerfully. This pulls the dirty water and bacteria out of the core of the carpet.
Tip: Add a splash of cleaning vinegar to the water to neutralise odours even more.

Method 3: Ventilation for new rugs

If your new carpet smells, fresh air is the only solution. Unroll the rug in a room with the windows open. Got the option? Put the rug outside for a day (in dry weather). The chemical gases will then dissipate faster. Usually the smell is gone within 48 to 72 hours.

Help, my carpet smells after cleaning!

It sounds contradictory: you did your best to clean, and now it smells worse than before. If your carpet smells after cleaning, it probably stayed too wet. The underlayer became saturated and took too long to dry, causing mould growth (mildew).

What to do?

Drying is the priority: Ensure maximum ventilation. Open windows on opposite sides or use fans.
Clean again (carefully): Sometimes you need to treat the carpet again with an anti-mould product or vinegar solution to stop the bacterial growth.

Use a wet vacuum: Use a machine that sucks up water (such as the Achaté Spot Cleaner) to pull as much residual moisture out of the fibres as possible. The drier, the better.