How Drying Wet Carpets Work

By Author: Leo Nov
Total Articles: 883
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For homeowners with carpeted floors, flooding can be a big problem. Whatever is the cause of the flood, your concern is how to get the carpet dried. It may appear like a simple and straightforward job and in some cases it is like if the soaked item is a small rug or carpet where you just basically hang it outside to dry. However, if you are dealing with wall-to-wall carpeting there is a lot more effort involved since the mere size of the carpet would make it difficult to handle in addition to it becoming heavy as it has soaked up the water.
Another crucial factor in drying wet carpets is how clean the water that has drenched or damaged them. To understand this consideration, you need to know that water has three categories in the cleaning and restoration industry where clean water is classified as Category 1 (ex. water from broken water supply pipe); water containing chemical or biological pollutants is known as Gray Water or Category 2 (ex. dishwashing water, laundry water, etc) and water containing toxic waste is classified as Black Water or Category 3 (ex. sewage).
If Category 1 water or clean water has affected ...
... the carpet, then it can be cleaned and re-installed again after it has dried completely. However, if the type of water that has flooded your carpets is of Category 2 or 3, then no amount of cleaning can really make the carpet safe to use again. So, don't risk your health by trying to clean and re-use it. Additionally, if there is mold growth in the carpet, it also indicates that the carpet must be discarded.
In addition to the carpet itself, flooding also affects the cushion or padding under the carpets. Unfortunately water damage to carpet pads is irreversible, meaning there is no way to thoroughly dry wet carpet pads. These pads make the surface of your carpets heaven to walk on but when they get wet, they become very absorbent and moisture retentive. Hence, they must be pulled up and replaced because molds would definitely grow on your floor if you put them back on.
Removing the carpet and the padding is the first step in the proper way of drying wet carpets in order to reveal the subfloor. It does not matter what type of subfloor you have, the important thing is to ensure that it dries completely. It will be useless to reinstall a fully dry carpet and replace the pad if the subfloor is damp.
Water damage restoration professionals will first extract all standing water in the room and the air dry the floor with the use of fans. If this fails to remove excess humidity or moisture, then dehumidifiers will be used. Afterwards, they will conduct antimicrobial spraying on the affected floor to fight mold development and then install your new carpet padding.
As you can see, drying wet carpets is not an easy task at all but water damage restoration companies are ready to help you. Still, you should do your part by calling professional help immediately. This way, you may be able to save your carpets and reduce water damage to your floors.
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for water damage cleanups. To learn more about drying wet carpets and water removal, visit RestorationSOS.com