Smelly apartment after a flood

[Angela St.Aubin]

Hi everyone,
I need your help!
2 nights ago, a pipe in my apartment burst and flooded my apartment in
several inches of water.
Everything is mostly dry now, but the apartment stinks like you wouldn't
believe.
any hints on how to get the mouldy wet smells out? I have half carpet half
floors.
It is really humid out and very hot, and raining on and off, so i have the
windows closed and the AC on.
I also have cats, so the bathroom smells the worst, where the water mingled
with cat food and litter.
I cant breathe in here, but I have nowhere to escape to, please help!

[Vox Humana]

"Angela St.Aubin" <bodah@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:ItACe.1106$je2.126983@news20.bellglobal.com.. .
>
> Hi everyone,
> I need your help!
> 2 nights ago, a pipe in my apartment burst and flooded my apartment in
> several inches of water.
> Everything is mostly dry now, but the apartment stinks like you wouldn't
> believe.
> any hints on how to get the mouldy wet smells out? I have half carpet half
> floors.
> It is really humid out and very hot, and raining on and off, so i have the
> windows closed and the AC on.
> I also have cats, so the bathroom smells the worst, where the water
mingled
> with cat food and litter.
> I cant breathe in here, but I have nowhere to escape to, please help!

Your landlord should be addressing this. The carpet probably needs to be
removed along with the padding. Water probably penetrated into the wall
cavities and no doubt wicked into the wallboard. Of course, the contents
are your responsibility. If you have renter's insurance, you should contact
you agent to see what coverage might be available.

The problem is that there is water in places you can't see. If not dried
properly, you will have mold. The mold could be a health hazard. If I were
you, I would also contact the local building inspector/code enforcement
office to see what they have to say. You might also call the city/county
health department.

You should contact your landlord ASAP and follow up with a written notice.
The landlord is required to provide a safe and sanitary apartment so at the
very least, you should not have to pay rent while your apartment is not
inhabitable. I would ask for compensation. If you get any resistance,
contact an attorney immediately.

[Phisherman]

Run fans and a dehumidifier for 2-4 weeks, until you see less water
collected. You'll see a jump in your electric bill for that month,
although this is the best method. Perhaps your landlord will supply
the dehumidifier. Else, move out.

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:54:32 -0400, "Angela St.Aubin"
<bodah@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>
> Hi everyone,
>I need your help!
>2 nights ago, a pipe in my apartment burst and flooded my apartment in
>several inches of water.
>Everything is mostly dry now, but the apartment stinks like you wouldn't
>believe.
>any hints on how to get the mouldy wet smells out? I have half carpet half
>floors.
>It is really humid out and very hot, and raining on and off, so i have the
>windows closed and the AC on.
>I also have cats, so the bathroom smells the worst, where the water mingled
>with cat food and litter.
>I cant breathe in here, but I have nowhere to escape to, please help!
>

[Rox]

I'd definitely remove all carpeting, wash whatever I could down with a
diluted bleach solution, and dehumidify. Give the weather where you are
opening windows just won't help. The AC is probably helping you out a
little, that does take some moisture out of the air. The landlord should
pick up the bill so keep all receipts.

Any repairs he needs to make to fix your apartment are a tax write off for
him (only give him your receipts AFTER he's reimbursed you--he'll need those
receipts for his taxes). Don't be shy asking for the repair.

[Vox Humana]

"Rox" <roxanne.gray@att.net> wrote in message
news:keQCe.441343$cg1.101131@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> I'd definitely remove all carpeting, wash whatever I could down with a
> diluted bleach solution, and dehumidify. Give the weather where you are
> opening windows just won't help. The AC is probably helping you out a
> little, that does take some moisture out of the air. The landlord should
> pick up the bill so keep all receipts.
>
> Any repairs he needs to make to fix your apartment are a tax write off for
> him (only give him your receipts AFTER he's reimbursed you--he'll need
those
> receipts for his taxes). Don't be shy asking for the repair.


The landlord also should have insurance that covers damage to the structure
from water leaks. Other than the deductible, there shouldn't be any
tax-deductible expense.

[Angela St.Aubin]

I have the AC on all the time, and the one fan I have.
I am freezing and dreading the electricty bill, but maybe it will help speed
the process.
Moving out is not an option.

--
****Wisdom is scar tissue in disguise****
"Phisherman" <noone@nobody.com> wrote in message
news:h26md15p1bbkjf0bq7sa8pfijcgpu96l1g@4ax.com...
> Run fans and a dehumidifier for 2-4 weeks, until you see less water
> collected. You'll see a jump in your electric bill for that month,
> although this is the best method. Perhaps your landlord will supply
> the dehumidifier. Else, move out.
>
> On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:54:32 -0400, "Angela St.Aubin"
> <bodah@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
> >
> > Hi everyone,
> >I need your help!
> >2 nights ago, a pipe in my apartment burst and flooded my apartment in
> >several inches of water.
> >Everything is mostly dry now, but the apartment stinks like you wouldn't
> >believe.
> >any hints on how to get the mouldy wet smells out? I have half carpet
half
> >floors.
> >It is really humid out and very hot, and raining on and off, so i have
the
> >windows closed and the AC on.
> >I also have cats, so the bathroom smells the worst, where the water
mingled
> >with cat food and litter.
> >I cant breathe in here, but I have nowhere to escape to, please help!
> >
>

[Angela St.Aubin]

The carpeting is attached to the floor, I cant remove it.
I dont have a dehumidifier.
The landlord person told me to wait til everything is totally dry before
doing anything else.
once it is, i will have them come up to smell it, and look at the cupboards
and baseboards that have warped.
I feel very confident they will just patch it up, not replace anything.
so far there is no receipt, i vacuumed the water, i cleaned everything, i
bought the cleaning supplies, etc, there have been no contractors or
anything.

--
****Wisdom is scar tissue in disguise****
"Rox" <roxanne.gray@att.net> wrote in message
news:keQCe.441343$cg1.101131@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> I'd definitely remove all carpeting, wash whatever I could down with a
> diluted bleach solution, and dehumidify. Give the weather where you are
> opening windows just won't help. The AC is probably helping you out a
> little, that does take some moisture out of the air. The landlord should
> pick up the bill so keep all receipts.
>
> Any repairs he needs to make to fix your apartment are a tax write off for
> him (only give him your receipts AFTER he's reimbursed you--he'll need
those
> receipts for his taxes). Don't be shy asking for the repair.
>
>

[Angela St.Aubin]

I bought some baking soda to use with the vacume, as well as some vacume
free foam stuff that you leave on.
I am afraid I will just mask the smell/mold.
Any ideas on which to do first?
The carpet itself is dry, but all the edges and spaces around walls are wet,
should I wait til they are dry too, before doing anything?