Urine or odour treatment is added to the cleaning price: from €3/m². A smell can be reduced, but we cannot promise that it will go.
The source of the smell decides whether cleaning will help
| Smell | Where it usually is | What cleaning can do |
|---|---|---|
| Urine | In the backing, the underlay, the floor | Reduce it on the surface; the smell may come back |
| Tobacco smoke | In the fibre and in the whole room | A short-term improvement, if smoking continues |
| Damp, mould | In the backing and under the carpet | Depends on how deep; a porous material is often not cleanable |
| New latex backing | In the backing | Fibreworks writes that at first it may smell of ammonia |
| Sweat, everyday use | In the pile | Usually fades together with the dirt |
Before you send a request, smell the rug from both sides and the floor under it. If the underside or the floor smells, the source is deeper than the pile. Put this in the form, together with photos of the top and the underside.
Tobacco and smoke smell in a carpet
Tobacco smoke residue stays in textiles for a long time. In one study it was still found in cotton and polyester after 19 months, and an overview of smokers' homes concludes that carpet cleaning, painting and washing surfaces give only a short-term result. This means that if smoking continues in the room, the smell may come back from the room. If a flat or a house was bought from a smoker, the carpet is only one of the places where the smell stays.
Sources: Bahl et al., 2014, on tobacco residue in cotton and polyester; an overview in Tobacco Control on cleaning smokers' homes. Checked 07.11.2026.
Carpet cleaning after a fire
After a fire, smoke gets not only into the carpet but also into the walls, ceilings, furniture and curtains. The smoke smell in a carpet can be reduced, but it can come back from the room if the rest of the room has not been dealt with. If the whole house smells, see first: room smell treatment. After that the carpet can be cleaned. Smoke residue also stays in curtains; for them, see the page curtain cleaning for smoke and cigarette smell. Photograph any damage before cleaning.
Damp smell and mould on a carpet
The Health Inspectorate (Veselības inspekcija) writes that in a room with relative air humidity above 80% the risk of mould is high, and the comfort level is 40–60%. A carpet that lies on a cold or damp floor or has stood in a cellar for a long time can start to smell from the backing. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) writes that porous materials in which mould has set cannot always be cleaned completely, and may have to be thrown away.
If mould spots are visible on the carpet, the Health Inspectorate advises putting mouldy textiles in a sealed bag. Mould on the walls and in the room is not a carpet cleaning job. If the carpet was flooded, see carpet cleaning after a flood.
Sources: Health Inspectorate, Health risks, preventive and corrective measures; US EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Checked 07.11.2026.
Latex backing smell
In a tufted rug the yarn is pushed into the backing fabric and fixed with latex glue. Fibreworks writes that a new rug with a latex backing may at first smell of ammonia, while an old backing may in time start to crumble and smell by itself. In the second case the smell comes from the material itself, and cleaning may not change it. More about such rugs: tufted rug cleaning.
What to do before cleaning
- Air the room and, if you can, lift the rug off the floor so that the underside dries.
- Do not pour strong cleaning products on the rug: they can change the colour.
- Do not wash a wool rug in hot water: hot water together with rubbing makes wool felt, and the rug can shrink.
- Say in the request when the smell appeared and what happened at that time.
How much carpet odour treatment costs
Urine or odour treatment, extra: from €3/m². It is added to the cleaning price, which depends on the rug: a synthetic short-pile rug at home from €6/m², a wool or cotton rug with pick-up from €10/m², a fitted carpet up to 100 m² from €4/m². Example: a 2 × 3 m synthetic rug at home with urine or odour treatment is €36 and €18, in total from €54.
The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. Pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together). Travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10. All items: prices.
What usually fades and what may stay
Usually comes out
- everyday use and sweat smell in the pile;
- the smell of a fresh spilled drink or food;
- a smell whose source has been dealt with.
May stay
- tobacco smell, if smoking continues in the room;
- smell from the backing, the underlay or the floor;
- mould smell in a porous backing;
- the smell of an old latex backing.
Sources
- Tobacco residue stays in cotton and polyester for 19 months checked 7 November 2026
- Carpet cleaning and other measures in smokers' homes give a short-term result checked 7 November 2026
- Air humidity above 80% is a high mould risk; comfort 40–60%; mouldy textiles in a sealed bag checked 7 November 2026
- Porous materials with mould may have to be thrown away checked 7 November 2026
- A new latex backing may smell of ammonia checked 10 November 2026
- Hot water and rubbing make wool felt checked 10 November 2026
