Putting out a fire

How quickly they turn on you in this business.

Last night's fiasco job is coming around to bite me in the butt. I had to clean a building that simulates a tropical forest environment (95 degrees and 82% last night). To make matters worse, the doors must remain closed so there is no air movement of any kind....rather miserable to work in actually.

This was the fourth time that I have cleaned it since April and it is always a nightmare to get any kind of dry times, but the place is covered in bat droppings the size of a soft-serve ice cream cone and extensive soil due to the dirt walkways that transition to the carpet. Yup, a real joy.

I just received a call from the building supervisor that they have been receiving complaints due to the "aweful smell". I asked if it still smells and to describe the smell to me...she said it is terrible but couldn't describe it beyond "aweful".

I called the Security staff and asked them to investigate for me and they reported that is smelled the same way that it always smells and that the carpets were dry.

The lower level of the building is the area that she complained about the most and I now that it has flooded at least 5 times in the past 2 years without doing more than just drying with fans, so it isn't a surprise that there would be an odor in that area after cleaning since they never tended to the mold issue in the first place.

So now I have a facilities manager that is unhinged and asking if they should just tear out carpet in all of the buildings and replace with a colored concrete or tile....you know, the calm logical response. So, now I have to go down there in the morning and find a solution as well as have a chat with management on long term plans for their buildings.

I just have to decide if I want to wait until morning or go down there tonight to address the problem (if there is a problem at all). It isn't like I can toss a dehumidifer out to dry the carpet in a 38,000 sqft building kept like a sauna, but it is going to bother me all night if I don't.

Some days it is like training cats in this business.

Go in, asking probing questions. I would write this all down.
To get verbal acknowledgement that they just used fans for water damage.
And without pointing fingers, conclusion is"improper drying of carpet from WD ....".
Remedy is:???
Have a reasonable solution or 2 for them.

Bat dropping are that big??

Well, unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can do aside from heavy deodorizing, that will also adding more moisture which will add to already extensive dry times.
You know sooner or later they will tear the carpet up, that's when you tell them "well I can clean your colored concrete or tile for double or triple the carpet cleaning rate".

They called me after the last flooding asking if I could "knock down" the odor then after the 4th day of being wet and Security tells me that it is a frequent event.

All I did that time was give it a light spray of Sporicidin and let the fans due the rest.  No more complaints the next day.

I didn't go down there due to a fever and intestinal issues, but I did ask security to walk around the place and look for any damp areas....they found none and still claim that it smells the same as always.

I will be meeting them down there with a pump up of Sporicidin and then we will need to have a long discussion about where carpet is a good idea and where it isn't.  This building is a no.

The problem that they have is that carpet is the only non-slip surface that they can install and since the floors are constantly  getting coffee and soda spills they will have to enjoy a ton of spot mopping as well as more frequent cleanings albeit easier to do than carpet.

I am going to suggest bamboo flooring actually as it might be the best option and fits the decor best.  I don't think they are going to find a perfect solution, but it sounds like my role is clearly about to change for good or bad.

Bat droppings? Dude that can't be good for you. You clean it and that might the bats shit all over the wet carpet

I have no idea what is going on now. I went down there early in morning, but the managers chose not to come in prior to just before opening. So, I guess I cared far more than they did.

I called back later in the day to find out the situation and never got an answer to it, but then they booked me to clean 480 chairs on Sunday.

The place just baffles me, but I do not plan on cleaning that building again under those conditions regardless. Not only was it miserable, but the clean up of the tools and tank after-wards was not fun....bat all over the hoses and my shoes.