Carpet Cleaning FAQs We Get All the Time
October 7, 2025
If you’ve ever cleaned your carpet and thought, “Why does my carpet still stink?”, you’re not alone. This is one of the most searched questions in residential cleaning, and it happens more often than people think. A freshly cleaned carpet should feel soft, look brighter, and smell neutral, so when an odor lingers, it’s usually a sign that something deeper is going on.
Let’s break down the most common causes, what you can do at home, and when calling a professional makes more sense.
Why Your Carpet Still Smells
A carpet can look clean on the surface and still hold odor deep in the fibers, padding, or even the subfloor. When someone searches “clean my carpet and it still smells,” it usually points to moisture being trapped. Damp carpet fibers can hold onto smells from spills, pets, and everyday dirt. Even if you clean it well, if the carpet dries too slowly, those odors come right back.
Another issue is bacteria. When carpets are repeatedly cleaned with DIY machines that don’t extract water properly, it creates the perfect environment for musty, sour smells to grow.
DIY Fixes You Can Try First
Before you spend money on a service, try these simple steps. Many times, the stink comes from trapped moisture, so the first fix is better airflow. Open windows, turn on fans, and get the carpet as dry as possible. A dry carpet doesn’t smell.
If you’re dealing with a pet smell, sprinkle baking soda, leave it overnight, and vacuum it out. It won’t solve deeper odor problems, but it can help temporarily.
Vinegar is another classic option. Mix it with warm water and lightly mist the area, but don’t soak the carpet. Vinegar helps neutralize odors, not just mask them.
These are great first steps, but if the smell still returns, it’s a sign your carpet needs more than surface-level cleaning.
Why Professional Cleaning Removes Odors Better
Professional cleaners use high-powered extraction tools that reach far deeper than DIY machines. When a carpet still smells after cleaning, it usually means the deeper layers are still holding moisture or bacteria. Professionals flush out the dirt at the base of the carpet, and most importantly, they extract far more water, which means it dries faster and doesn’t create new odors.
Another difference is the products. Professional solutions break down organic odors, pet enzymes, and bacteria in a way store-bought detergents simply can’t.
If the odor has reached the carpet padding, professionals can target that layer directly. This is something you won’t be able to do at home.
How Much Should Professional Cleaning Cost?
Prices depend on square footage, the number of rooms, and whether you have pet odor treatments, but a normal residential service usually ranges from $60 to $150 per room. Heavily soiled or pet-affected areas may cost a bit more because they require enzyme treatments and multiple passes.
A good rule of thumb is this: if you’ve cleaned the carpet twice on your own and the smell still comes back, the problem is deeper than DIY can reach. A one-time professional cleaning is cheaper than buying a new carpet.
When It’s Time to Call Premier Carpet Cleaning
If your carpet still stinks after you cleaned it, don’t let it sit. Odors only get stronger the longer bacteria and moisture stay trapped.
Premier Carpet Cleaning offers deeper odor removal, fast drying, and non-toxic solutions safe for kids and pets. They service Nanaimo, Duncan, and Parksville, and you can reach them anytime if you have questions about a persistent smell or need help figuring out what’s going on.
Phone: Duncan – 250-701-0377
Nanaimo – 250-758-5177
Email: yourcarpetologist@gmail.com
