Getting the smell of milk out of carpet?

Ez managed to spill almost a whole cup of milk on the carpet yesterday. I did my usual thing of going at it with the carpet spill spray and water, but the lounge stinks of off milk today. Febreze doesn't seem to have much impact. Had milk spills before, but never ones that have resulted in such a stink - any tips?

Build a shed and keep the kids in there.

((carpets))

Have you tried deep cleaning it with carpet shampoo?

Probably not got it all out. Might need another going over with lots of cold water. Unless there's a spot that got missed?

Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on and leave for a few hours, preferably overnight, then vacuum off.

Try on an inconspicuous bit first in case of carpet damage. Try not to spill fluid on top of it while its doing its thang.

bicarb can also be used to take the smell out of smelly shoes, I've had success with this but them the smell hasn't been too bad.

^This. Milk is protein based, so you really do need to get every tiny splash of it out, or it bonds to anything even vaguely absorbent.

I spilt some milk behind a fridge that was tricky to move. I decided to move out.

Steam cleaner (or wallpaper stripper) if you can borrow one.

Well, we're trying the bicarb version. As soon as gsv covered the spill, Ez came in and spilt another cup of milk on the carpet so we now have two massive patches of bicarb. gsv was being all 'It's not working!' but I did figure it probably needed longer than an hour or so!

Haven't checked if it might damage the carpet, but the carpet's so fucked it doesn't even matter. Basically, we have two options - replace our carpet when we come to showing the place for selling, for a few hundred quid (but not before) or replace with something wipe-clean now. The trouble being I don't think we can afford anything wipe clean and nice.

Might I respectfully suggest no milk in the lounge?

If bicarb fails, you probably need to change the carpet - Milk is hellish for stinking if it sinks-in.

Well, we've managed 4 years OK with it - I'm sure we've had spills before without it being so stinky But it's definitely only when sitting down from now on. Unfortunately the lounge is the only place to sit down, really, as we're only a 2 bed flat.

{{{cloo's carpet}}}

Just had a thought - small amount of bio detergent mixed with water, sponged onto the affected area, then dabbed off with a clean towel. Repeat a few times, then finish with a sponge & clean water, then with a dry towel. Enzymes will usually shift food traces if nothing else does.

That's why milk can be one of the ultimate revenge methods, specially if some twat has an open sunroof. Does the carpet have underlay?? If the milk soaked into that I reckon you need the new floor covering.

if you're replacing the carpet anyway, diluted bleach will shift the smell, but will also bleach the carpet.

Don't forget putting a couple of ripe kippers down behind the radiators, sewing a bag's worth of prawns into the hem of the curtains or (my personal favourite) waiting until someone you dislike goes on a fortnight's holiday and then thoroughly soaking the carpet in someone's bedroom and generously covering said carpet with watercress seeds and leaving the heating full-on. Then you just have to hide at a safe distance and listen to their anguished shrieks on returning to find their room bears a striking resemblance to the set of 'Gardener's World.'

Not that I'm an evil bastard or anything...

cancels holiday plans. i am not leaving this one alone in my flat.

Note to self: Should Bakunin ever visit, either keep him happy, or don't leave him unwatched.

Well, have hoovered off the bicarb now (which was quite tricky). Smell seems to be greatly lessened, obv hard to tell if it's gone for a bit. Carpet's looking rather marked, though. If smell goes, I suppose it's in a spot where a rug could cover it up until we can sort a whole new floor!

good call.

You could always tie me to the bed if you like. I'm sure Toggle won't mind lending you the rope she normally uses.

behave

Mince up some prawns and rub them into the affected spot. Within a couple of days the smell of gone off milk will be completely undetectable.

I once spewed a pint of milk in my mum's car. She had to get a new car

This is what I was going to suggest, but Greebo beat me to it. Biological enzyme detergents are great for shifting protein-based stains/smells out of things. Dissolve half a tab of Ariel Bio (or similar) in a washing up bowl/bucket of hot water, then use it to sponge the area, then do the same with clean water to get the detergent out of the carpet, and dry off as much as possible with a towel. So pretty much the same as Greebo's method. Wear rubber gloves if your skin is sensitive to bio detergents. It also works for cat urine.

I am behaving.

Toggle might not mind, But VP almost certainly would. Sorry, I'd have to tie you to the security grille instead. Facing outwards.

i did this at my sister's house, I tried EVERYTHING.

Eventually I had to pay for a professional carpet cleaner bloke to come round.

Well, it's kinky, but as long as it doesn't also involve a large pineapple, a croquet mallet and no lube then I guess I could live with it.

Small pineapple, lump hammer, ginger pulp added to lube ?