How to Deal with Carpets that Have Been Damaged by Water

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By: Tymon Hytem

It happens when you least expect it, your carpet gets damaged by water. Whether it be from a flood or some type of household incident that caused water to leak, you carpet now is sitting under water. Now you are faced with the overwhelming task of removing and cleaning the carpet. Before you start, there are some important things that you need to understand about carpets and water damage.
First, it is important to determine the cause of the water. The reason that this is so important is because different sources of water leaks have to be cleaned in different ways. You need to make sure that the water is not contaminated. Water sources are broken down into three different categories: clean water, gray water and black water. If your want is coming from a broken water line, some type of overflow from the sink or even plain rain water you are dealing with clean water. As long as you get to a clean water flood within 24 to 48 hours, it is not contaminated. If your water source comes from flooding due to natural water sources (the ocean or rivers) then you are dealing with gray water. Gray water can be dealt with by removing and replacing the carpeting. If you do not get to gray water within 48 hours, then it moves into the black water category. Black water contains lots of contaminants and microorganisms which can cause disease. With black water, you will need to consult with a professional.
If you are dealing with clean water clean up, most people do the clean up themselves unless it is too much to handle. The best way to take care of this is by getting of all the standing water. The next thing you need to do is take up the carpeting and replace the padding. Before having the padding replaced, you want to make sure that your flooring underneath is completely dry. It is possible to replace just the padding and let the carpet dry completely and then reinstall it into the room. If your carpet is glued down to the floor, don’t panic, this can be easily cleaned with a wet-dry vacuum and lots of fans to help dry it out. If you can’t get to it within 24 hours, you run the risk of mold and other contaminants growing in the carpet and it will be better to have it replaced by professionals. Most clean water damage to carpets can be taken care of with a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of drying time.
If you have gray or black water flooding, the best thing that you can do is consult with a professional. It is possible for the professional to extract gray water and clean your carpeting without having to remove and replace it. However, this will depend on how long the gray water has been sitting. After 48 hours, the option to restore the carpeting is no longer available as the water then becomes black water. Any flooding done by black water is a definite cause to call a professional. The water will have to be removed as well as the carpeting, padding and possibly the sub flooring. It is also possible that the walls around the room will have to be replaced depending on the length of time the water sat before being taken care of.
Having water damage to your home can be quite an experience. Your best recourse if this should happen to you is to consult with your local water damage specialists to determine the best course of action to deal with your home.

Information about the Author:

Lior-Bar Kleen lives in Florida and operates a business in the Miami Water Damage Restoration Industry. He has owned his buiness for 15 years and helps his clients understand all aspects of Water Damage Restoration.

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