For the last few months I have been using releasit on almost all of our commercial jobs. I need a real world answer to an odor issue. I hate to switch back hwe on this job.

Two weeks ago there was a clean water leak in a section of a hallway. Approx. 500sf of solution-dyed nylon, glue down. Water was extracted, and air mover was placed by the night cleaners. The affected area was treated with "something". Probably a generic deodorizer. The carpet is completely dry.
There is, however a pretty strong residual odor from the leak.

My preference is to use releasit in some way to resolve this. All of the posts I have been able to find indicate not to use deodorizers, mildewcides,etc. as they will compromise the encap chemistry. Whadaya think guys,take a chance on a call back, or start from square one and extract, treat and return for another cleaning with releasit?

After two weeks I would think that if everything is dry there should not be any smell remaining. What does it smell like? General rule of thumb is if it smells like mold, there is a good chance there is mold. I would check all drywall with moisture detector to check and make sure there is no wetness or mold. Standards do say to clean with hot water extraction after a water damage, no matter if clean or grey. If you find nothing, I would just clean and deodorize with no guarantees because you were not the one who did the dry out, and see if it takes care of it.

Thanks for your comments Brian. There is no sheetrock. The walls are concrete block. I believe all odor is in the carpet. Will applying a mildewcide compromise the releasit's chemistry? Rick, Gary?

Encap is a great tool, but water damage is a thing of its own identity.
I would consider Milgo or Microban, giving it dwell time, and then doing a thorough extraction. post bonnet and use air movers to get it dry.
you said the night cleaners got it dry. are they janitorial workers? and if so, what type of equipment did they use. just because they said they extracted, doesnt mean that they got anything out. and again, just because they used an airmover (s), that doesnt mean much if you dont extract a sufficient amount of water prior to setting them out.
It would make sense that a smell might possibly exist.
One of the above chems should cure that, and then do a cleaning and dry it down quicker. maybe then mist a little on for safe measure and leave it.
just a thought.
I dont think Releasit or encap is the answer here. A problem exists, not due to your work, but sounds maybe like the problem wasn't handled right the first time. Just an educated guess. Maybe I am wrong. Let us know how it goes for future reference. thanks and good luck

Steve

Steve Dobson
ProFloor
Custom Cleaning Services

The odor can come from several places. The padding, the flooring, the walls (Concrete can hold a surprising amount of moisture) The air handling system, etc. These all need to be checked with probes and meters/guages.

While I do think Releasit Encapsulating Detergent would fix an odor problem in the carpet, if it is dry, the odor is not coming from the carpet, UNLESS there was some organic matter carried in the water, which needs to be addressed too.

Gary

I agree with Gary. The odor may or may not be coming from the surface of the carpet which you can clean.

I would inform them that having you come to do the top of the carpet may or may not solve the problem. If it is in the drywall, for example, then cleaning the carpets would not do much. Try not to have the situation where they are, in effect, saying: "If you clean my carpet, will you guarantee that everything else in my life will go better?"


No, only that your carpet will be clean.

First off I do 5-7 water damage claims a week. If the carpet stayed wet too long then sometimes it is impossible to remove the smell even when dried. Also, did the crew check to see whether it was dry with a moisture meter including the walls. If not I bet they pulled the fan too quickly. Then it started to smell and it is real hard to correct now.

Kevin Pearson