Yesterday I discovered that part of the carpet in the basement is soggy and there's a sewage-like stench. I've contacted both the water damage restoration company and the insurance company to evaluate the situation. The restoration company said it's likely a backed up drain underneath the carpet and that they will come Monday to remove, dry, and replace the carpet; They did suggest I contact a plumber first to check on the clog.
I'm not asking about what needs to be done to deal with the wet carpet/smell, since that will be handled by the restoration company. I'm asking if there's something I can do before Monday as a temporary measure before the smell and bacteria/mold gets worse?
Edit: I'm considering of throwing some drying agent like kitty litter or something and then run vacuum and carpet cleaner over the area as a stop-gap measure. Would this be advisable?
For the curious, it doesn't appear to be a foundation leak or sump pump overflow because all areas around the wall and sump pump are dry. The wet spots appear towards the middle of the basement away from the walls.
Best Answer
Most critical to removing the smell is to dry the carpet quickly. I dealt with a flooded basement last fall and had good luck with the following.
Close off any a/c intake vents in the basement to keep from sucking mold & mildew into the rest of the house. Use a wet/ dry shop vac or carpet cleaner to vacuum out as much water as possible. If you go slow you can suck it almost completely dry. Place several fans to circulate air around the room and directly over the wet spot. If you can, arrange fans to circulate fresh outside air in and wet stale air out of the basement. The faster you can dry everything, the less smell you'll have. The restoration company may need to run fans and dehumidifiers for a few days, then spray a fungicide to prevent future growth.