very DEEP fermented juice stain in carpet

A plastic jug of orange juice fermented and burst on the living room bar. About a third of a gallon of juice spilled onto carpet, soaking in for about 6 to eight hours.

I treated it by blotting then repeated steam cleaning with a rented Rug Doctor. The spot still stinks of mildew and ferment, but _no stain shows_ as the carpet was kind of industrial beige to begin with

1. Is there a way to rid myself of the smell without pulling up the carpet?

2. The stained area ends five feet from a room corner. Is it reasonable to just replace the carpet backing and clean the subfloor if I pull up the carpet carefully?

Thanks

 

You're on the right track. A 1/3 gallon liqiuid spill would definitely be enough to prenetrate the carpet and into the pad. If it did, replace the pad. If it penetrated the pad, seal the floor with Kilz. As long as you have the carpet up, it's not a bad idea to clean the back of the carpet too.

 

Agreed. Pull your carpet. Replace the padding. Clean/seal subfloor. Clean the carpet backing and surface with a enzyme based cleaner. Let sit 10-15 mins and extract. Be very careful with rented or DIY "steam" cleaners most will put down way too much water with little recovery. This may of let to the mildew smell.

 

Thanks so much for the advice! Now I get to search DoItYouself for advice on how to pull up my carpet.

 

Locate your tack strips around the edges using a small screwdriver will help. Sometimes its just a matter of finding the tack strips and lifting up on the carpet around them. Other times depending on how tight the carpet is. You may have to cut to relieve tension. I only clean flooring thou. Installing flooring is another job for another person

 

Surface spills on carpet tend to settle not only downward but outward 3-5 times size of surface spill and settle into carpet cushion and subfloor. Surfaces allowed to remain damp or wet for 24-48 hours tend to develop mold & mildew & associated odor problems.

As indicated, carpet will need to be pulled back and cleaned and affected carpet cushion replaced and subfloor sealed to seal in odors. A carpet professional is recommended for installation because carpet will likely require restretching. Professional carpet cleaning is also recommended.