Whether you’ve had a major leakage in the house, experienced a flood or have simply spilled a liquid on the carpet, the clean up job will be similar in each case. It will simply be the size of the carpet drying job that will differ. Drying a wet carpet will involve more than simply drying the surface that is exposed to the air. The felt underlay will also have been saturated and will have to be dried too or else the risk of mold is almost 100 per cent.
The important thing to remember when dealing with a wet carpet is that you must get started on the drying process immediately. The longer the carpet is left the more it will smell and the greater the opportunity for mold to develop. If mold does happen to begin growing the best advice is to discard the carpet and the underlay. Mold is a potential health risk and its presence should be removed from the house at all costs.
If you haven’t located the source of the water damage then this is the first step that you must undertake. Once the source of the water damage has been located you must start the process of removing the water. In ideal conditions mold will begin to grow after around 24 – 36 hours, but this will depend on factors such as humidity, temperature and dew point levels.
Remove the ideal mold growing conditions by lowering the humidity and the temperature with a
dehumidifier and using a commercial floor fan to get the air circulating. Also, lift the carpet and place something underneath it to allow the air to flow over and under it. Open a window or run the air conditioner in the room. Essentially, you have to get as much air into the affected room(s) as possible.
For drying and repairing flood damaged carpets and you have decided not to throw the carpet away (which is one option) you will be facing a challenge to prevent mold and mildew. If the carpet has not been glued down, roll it up and take it out into the yard where you can lay it flat on a hard, dry surface in the sun. Give the carpet a thorough spray with the hose through a strong nozzle, sweeping the carpet with the water front and back. Next, use an all-purpose ammonia solution that has been diluted and soak the carpet in it for a few minutes to kill any organisms that may have begun to grow in the carpet. There is a risk with using ammonia or an equally effective bleach solution that the color of the carpet will be affected. After treating the carpet, rinse all traces of bleach or ammonia.
After treating for microbes the carpet must be dried as quickly and completely as possible so as to avoid mildew growth. Using a wet and dry vacuum will remove excess water from the carpet fibers. Leaving the carpet in the sun will speed up the drying process. If the carpet can’t be left outside it may be dried inside using an air conditioner and dehumidifier to help with moisture removal.
The best option for the padding underlay that has been saturated is to lift it and throw it away. The padded nature of the underlay will mean that it has absorbed a lot of moisture and it is cheaper than carpet so can be replaced without incurring prohibitive costs. Chances are the padding has taken in so much water it won’t be salvageable anyway.
In order to get rid of the damp carpet smell that follows water damage, spread baking powder on the carpet and leave it for a couple of days. Then vacuum the baking soda up and the smell should be gone. Similarly, spreading cat sand over the carpet will help to absorb the liquid. Moving the sand around over the carpet will help to get as much sand as possible in contact with the moisture. Sweep off any excess and then vacuum up the rest.
To prevent mildew ensure the floor beneath the carpet is completely dry before returning the carpet back to the room. Give the floor a good clean and make sure the other surfaces in the room have also been dried out. The air conditioner and humidifier running in the room will ensure that all moisture has been removed.
Cleaning a wet carpet and restoring the damage will not be an easy task no matter how much moisture has been absorbed. But the damage can be repaired and can be done yourself, as long as the proper care is carried out. You also have the fall-back of calling in a professional water damage service.
The important thing to remember when dealing with a wet carpet is that you must get started on the drying process immediately. The longer the carpet is left the more it will smell and the greater the opportunity for mold to develop. If mold does happen to begin growing the best advice is to discard the carpet and the underlay. Mold is a potential health risk and its presence should be removed from the house at all costs.
If you haven’t located the source of the water damage then this is the first step that you must undertake. Once the source of the water damage has been located you must start the process of removing the water. In ideal conditions mold will begin to grow after around 24 – 36 hours, but this will depend on factors such as humidity, temperature and dew point levels.
Remove the ideal mold growing conditions by lowering the humidity and the temperature with a
dehumidifier and using a commercial floor fan to get the air circulating. Also, lift the carpet and place something underneath it to allow the air to flow over and under it. Open a window or run the air conditioner in the room. Essentially, you have to get as much air into the affected room(s) as possible.For drying and repairing flood damaged carpets and you have decided not to throw the carpet away (which is one option) you will be facing a challenge to prevent mold and mildew. If the carpet has not been glued down, roll it up and take it out into the yard where you can lay it flat on a hard, dry surface in the sun. Give the carpet a thorough spray with the hose through a strong nozzle, sweeping the carpet with the water front and back. Next, use an all-purpose ammonia solution that has been diluted and soak the carpet in it for a few minutes to kill any organisms that may have begun to grow in the carpet. There is a risk with using ammonia or an equally effective bleach solution that the color of the carpet will be affected. After treating the carpet, rinse all traces of bleach or ammonia.
After treating for microbes the carpet must be dried as quickly and completely as possible so as to avoid mildew growth. Using a wet and dry vacuum will remove excess water from the carpet fibers. Leaving the carpet in the sun will speed up the drying process. If the carpet can’t be left outside it may be dried inside using an air conditioner and dehumidifier to help with moisture removal.
The best option for the padding underlay that has been saturated is to lift it and throw it away. The padded nature of the underlay will mean that it has absorbed a lot of moisture and it is cheaper than carpet so can be replaced without incurring prohibitive costs. Chances are the padding has taken in so much water it won’t be salvageable anyway.
In order to get rid of the damp carpet smell that follows water damage, spread baking powder on the carpet and leave it for a couple of days. Then vacuum the baking soda up and the smell should be gone. Similarly, spreading cat sand over the carpet will help to absorb the liquid. Moving the sand around over the carpet will help to get as much sand as possible in contact with the moisture. Sweep off any excess and then vacuum up the rest.
To prevent mildew ensure the floor beneath the carpet is completely dry before returning the carpet back to the room. Give the floor a good clean and make sure the other surfaces in the room have also been dried out. The air conditioner and humidifier running in the room will ensure that all moisture has been removed.
Cleaning a wet carpet and restoring the damage will not be an easy task no matter how much moisture has been absorbed. But the damage can be repaired and can be done yourself, as long as the proper care is carried out. You also have the fall-back of calling in a professional water damage service.
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