Saving Water Damaged Carpet

12/12/2017 (Permalink)

It takes less than an inch of water to cause serious water damage to the carpeting in your home.  Not only is the carpet itself soaked, but the padding beneath is ruined, and the flooring and drywall may also end up warping or cracking.  Basically, it makes for a lot of problems. 

In almost every case, the easiest thing to do would be to simply throw the damaged carpet out and start all over again with new, but for some reason, there are folks who exist in this world who feel it necessary to do all they can to save their carpeting.  The good news is, it can be done.  The bad news is, once you do it, you may find yourself convinced that throwing it out should have been your first choice.

But I digress.  Water damaged carpets can be cleaned, provided that they have been soaked for less than 48 hours, and provided that the water in question is not sewage based.  If you have a sewage problem, skip the rest of this article and just throw the carpet out.  You’ve got far more serious issues to contend with.  Trust me on this one.

When it comes to cleaning a water damaged carpet, the first thing to do (as with any kind of water damage) is to locate the source of the water and shut it off.  This prevents more water from coming in, but it also allows you to determine what kind of water you’re dealing with.

The excess water damage will need to be removed from the carpet.  Usually this is accomplished through the use of a wet dry vac unit or pump.  Most of the water can be removed during this process, but not all of it.  The bad news is that the carpet will still retain a good bit of moisture, not to mention that found beneath the carpet or in the walls.  The good news is that the carpet should now be light enough to lift.

Yes, children, I said lift.  The carpet will need to be taken up and moved outside to completely dry, preferably somewhere that it can be laid flat, such as a patio or driveway, and in direct sunlight.  You can also use fans or blowers to help speed the process along.  Laying the carpet out flat is imperative…..otherwise it may dry unevenly and may not even fit back into the room from whence it came. 

Once the carpet is dried out, it will need to be clean, disinfected, and sanitized…..twice.  That’s right, once it’s all done, do it again for good measure.  You want it to be as clean and fresh as it can possibly be before putting it back down.

While the carpet is drying, don’t neglect the flooring.  Chuck all the padding out the door and replace it with new padding.  Trying to repair damaged carpet padding is an exercise in futility.  Don’t put yourself through it.  Make sure the flooring is dried out, cleaned, disinfected, sanitized, you know the drill.  All surfaces must be completely dry before the carpet is put back down, or else you’re inviting mold to start growing. 

Depending on the depth of the water, check the surrounding drywall for the telltale stains or swelling that usually accompany water damage.  The drywall may have to be cut and either partially or wholly replaced. 

Remember, the operative word in the whole operation is “dry”.  Everything must be completely dried out in order to prevent subsequent problems from materializing. 

Again, my advice would be to call in an airstrike and start all over again, but if you are one of those folks who believe that your carpet can be saved, and that we have the technology, etc etc……then the good news is that it can be done, provided you act swiftly and thoroughly.