Help! Carpets smell like dead mouse after shampooing them

[KittytheHare]

As the title suggests, I have gone from having stained carpets, to carpets that are clean but smell disgusting - you know that horrible musty damp smell?
I hired a rug doctor and obviously overdid in two rooms, which now smell rank. I’ve opened the windows, used Vanish powder and half heartedly sprinkled bicarbonate of soda.
Does anyone have any solution for me? Online advice suggests that bicarbonate of soda is the way forward. Before I go mad sprinkling kilos of it on the floors, are there any other solutions? The carpets seemed to take forever in two of the rooms to dry out - do you think this smell will fade or am I doomed?
Look forward to some pearls of wisdom!

I have experienced this and it is dead annoying!Windows open wide maybe one of those smelly things in the hoover ? (Wee smelly cardboard thing you put in filter - I get them from Savers!) It has tended to go away after a few days but it does pong!

Do you still have the rug doctor or has it gone back? I would see if it has a setting to suck up excess water and kind of press it into the rug as you try and do it.

And/or do another go over on them - I think sometimes when you get them wet it sort of activates the dirt. I had one which was absolutely grim and after trying to clean it it honked - I think that dirt had been caked and fossilised in and I just disturbed it. I ended up chucking it away because I just couldn't get it clean. But it was second hand and we had had it for ages without cleaning it.

It’s usually because the carpets have wool in them, often better quality carpets.
it goes in a few days but you might notice a slight smell for a few weeks whilst it fully dries.

if you can face it whack the heating on windows open and accept the smell for a few days

Unfortunately the rug doctor has been returned. Very annoying - I was so proud of myself until the vile smell began to emerge. Thank you all for your responses much appreciated. Yes they are wool, will try a few cosmetic coverups for now and hope the smell fades.

It’s the wool. It smells like wet sheep, not dead mouse 😂 The smell will go after a few days when the carpet is completely dry. The wool fibres absorb moisture…and smells 🤢

Rent a dehumidifier if you don't have one. We shampooed a couple of weeks ago and they dried in about four hours with it in full blast

They will be fine once they are properly dry.

Although it's too late it is not recommended to put any powders on damp carpets. They need to be dried out thoroughly before any powders are sprinkled on. You will now have powder embedded in your carpet fibres that you won't shift with hoovering. It can clump and cause a horrible mess in the deeper fibres.

Had mine cleaned recently with a similar problem. I sprayed some diluted essential oils (don't do this unless you're sure it won't cause stains!) and basically keeping windows open to allow airflow over them. The smell has faded now, after a week or so.

We did ours Sunday with a Vax and had a bit of a smell for 2 or 3 days, we found having a couple of fans on helped with the drying as it moves the air around as well as having the doors and windows open as much as possible.

It will be the wool - we had the same with ours, left windows open and took 2/3 days to stop smelling.

It could be that the underlay got too wet and mould is beginning to grow. Can you peel back a corner of carpet and look underneath?