Carpet and moisture are not the friendliest of combinations. A wet carpet is a homeowner’s worst nightmare. If you do not search on how to dry a carpet fast, the problem can become worse, and the resulting aftermath will quickly escalate.
The most problematic after-effect of a wet carpet is a mold infestation that not only destroys a home’s interior but poses a serious health risk as well.
In addition to mold growth, a wet carpet generates unpleasant and at times unbearable odor stinking up your entire home.
Hence, it is established that after your carpet suffers from water damages, you need to take immediate steps to mitigate the issue. One way is to hire a professional water damage restoration service. The other way is to take a few steps on your own.
Regardless of the approach, here are a few things you need to be aware of when it comes to drying your wet carpet.
What prerequisites to keep in mind prior to the carpet drying process?
It is true that you should immediately hop onto the carpet drying process once the damage is done, however, if you do not tackle certain prerequisites then all your drying efforts will be futile. Here are a few things you need to take care of before hiring a professional carpet drying service:
Identify and rectify the source of the water leakage
Prior to drying the wet carpet, it is imperative that you identify and correct the water leakage source in your home.
The cause of the water leak can be a broken or rusted pipeline, a broken roof with missing shingles, or something related to the main water supply line. No matter where the source is, hire a plumber or an expert who can help locate and rectify this leakage before you begin the drying process.
Empty out the affected room
Honestly, how can you even think of drying your carpet if you have piles of furniture lying over it? Of course, you cannot. Make sure you empty out the room and remove every piece of furniture before the drying process begins. For an efficient and effective cleanup, the room should be empty.
Avoid walking on the wet carpet
A wet carpet has lost its strength and becomes quite fragile. Even the slightest of foot traffic can permanently damage it causing the weaving to break off.
So even though emptying out the room would do the job, you still need to take proper measures to ensure that nobody walks or drags anything on the surface of the wet carpet. Otherwise, the drying process will be of no good.
Once you have completed the pre-requisites of drying a wet carpet, then you can move on with the actual drying process. Here is how you can do it.
What are the best ways to dry out a wet carpet damaged by water?
You can either hire a professional carpet cleaning and drying service or you can do some things on your own to dry out your carpet fast. Before you place the call for a professional drying service, do the following.
1. Get rid of the excess standing water
Start the carpet drying process by removing the excess water. The kind of drying equipment you need will be determined by the amount of standing water on the carpet.
Let’s say that the situation is so bad that the entire carpet is soaked in excess water. Then you would need to buy a water pump and a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the standing water.
However, if the situation is not too bad and the water is only present in a few areas of the carpet then you do not need to use the water pump. Simply use a shop vac that has a higher suction power than your average vacuum cleaner. The average vacuum cleaner is not equipped to handle excessive water suction.
If you do not want to buy the shop vac and the water pump, you can easily rent it out for a few hours from any hardware store in your area.
2. Use an absorbent towel to blot out any wet patches
Once you have removed the excess water from the wet carpet, take a few absorbent towels and blot out any wet areas. Absorbent towels help soaking wet areas that can cause mold infestation.
In case, the carpet is still too soaked in water, then you should consider hiring a professional carpet drying service to avoid worsening the situation. Do not do experiments on your own.
3. Let the carpet air dry for some time
Air drying the carpet does not mean that you let it dry outside in the yard. It requires you to switch on the fans and dehumidifiers, appliances that can result in effective air circulation and aid the water evaporation. Keep repositioning the fans after every two to three hours.
You are lucky if the water damage is not too much. You can even use your regular hair dryer to dry out the carpet. Take a hairdryer and hold it above the carpet and move it around the carpet in different positions to aid the drying process.
Do not check for drying areas by hand. The use of a hairdryer can lead you to believe that warm areas on the carpet are dried but in fact, they are not. Wait for the carpet to cool off and then check for wet areas.
4. Change the padding of the carpet
The most problematic damage that water can do to a carpet is to its padding. Simple drying may not be enough to reverse the water damage. You need to make sure that the carpet padding underneath is properly dried.
If this padding remains wet it can result in serious mold infestation that can quickly spread around if it is not treated in a timely manner.
On the other hand, if the water damages are extensive such as in case of a flood or heavy rainwater falling from the roof, then you may not be able to fix the padding underneath your carpet. The only choice you will have then is to get the carpet padding replaced. Talk to a few carpet contractors in your area and get the padding replaced as soon as possible.
However, if the mold from the padding has spread onto the carpet’s surface, then it is better you get rid of the carpet.
Seek the help of a professional carpet cleaning and drying company
The above-mentioned steps can help you restore some of the basic and apparent damage by the water, however, if you need to make sure that not even a molecule of water is left on your carpet, then it is better to hire a professional carpet drying service.
You must also hire a professional service if you do not have time and resources to invest in carpet drying on your own. Professional cleaners know that they have to get your room back up and running as soon as possible hence, they will make the most effective measures right from the get-go.
A professional company will help you mitigate water damages as soon as possible.
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