Moldy, wet carpet is not a desirable thing to have in your house. Old houses with concrete floor are the most susceptible to moist carpet in a high traffic living area. Basements are also very likely to end up with wet carpet if you are not careful. If you have this problem it is probably best to remove your carpet and use a few simple tricks to keep your carpet dry and mold free next time. The moisture getting in your carpet is most likely water seeping through the concrete from the ground after a heavy rain. Most new houses have a sheet of plastic under the concrete slab called a vapor barrier. This vapor barrier keeps the moisture from wicking through the concrete. Old houses usually either did not have a vapor barrier installed, or the barrier has become compromised over time.
Your carpet will need to be removed if it has been wet for quite a while. Mold and Mildew can make you and your family ill. Once you have pulled up your carpet and padding let your concrete dry until it is dry to the touch. Coat your flooring with a Concrete Sealer from your local hardware store. Concrete Sealer is usually used to protect from water coming in from the top, but in this case you will be blocking it from coming up from the bottom. Apply two coats of sealer to the concrete. If you have any cracks in the concrete, it is a good idea to seal them with an elastomeric caulking. The next step is to find moisture blocking carpet pad with microbial protection (you may have to buy this from your local carpet specialty store). It cost a little more than the average padding, but you will not get the moisture and mold you had before. Install your carpet, and enjoy your dry floor.
If you are sealing in a basement it is also good to seal the walls with a basement sealer if you have not done that already. Sometimes the water from the concrete walls in a basement with trickle down the wall, then into the carpet.

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Carpet tack strips are very easy to install if you are putting them on a wood floor.  Not so on old concrete! There are tack strips made for concrete, they work very nicely on concrete that has not aged for 20+ years.  Concrete is constantly curing during its lifetime, becoming harder and more brittle as it ages.  If you try to nail carpet tack strips to old concrete the nails either bend or shatter the brittle concrete.  The easy fix for this is to use an epoxy resin formulated for wood and concrete.  There are several brands at your local home improvement store.  Use one of these or use a construction adhesive formulated for wood and concrete (like Liquid Nails).   Make sure to clean up all dirt and other debris in the area you are going to putting the carpet.  It is a good idea to seal the concrete if you have the time,  this will stop moisture from seeping up and causing mildew.  Also remember to put the padding down on the concrete with a light layer of carpet adhesive AFTER the concrete sealer has dried.

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