Cleaning a muddy carpet?
This past weekend, we applied some diatomaceous earth (http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=ytff1-tyc&p=wikipedia%20diatomaceous%20earth&ei=UTF-8&type=) in order to stop a recent flea infestation.
During the process, we discovered what's been allowing the fleas to breed so aggressively. Turns out there has been a fairly massive leak through a window frame, that left the a corner of the carpet, subfloor and wood trim soaking wet.
Unfortunately, we didn't notice the moisture until the diatomaceous earth was already in place. So, now we have diatomaceous mud on top of, and slightly embedded in, the carpet.
Our landlord has recently had some fairly large expenditures come up on our behalf, so I'd like to clean the carpet, instead of asking him to replace it (especially considering it's a small corner of a large room).
What's your best recommendation for getting the mud out/off? The landlord does have a shopvac I can use, but I don't want to ruin it by clogging it up with this sticky mess. I've contemplated using a steam cleaner for the purpose of adding liquid to the equation, but don't want to be stuck having to buy the rental machine if things go bad.
How would you handle this one?
It's not a stain...it's a pile of wet, sticky mud. Borax (or any other powder) would have resulted in the same problem.
Okay, it's drying...it might take until summer actually comes, but I suppose I'll have to be patient.