Wet carpet can happen from a range of accidents: your house could break a pipe, a bath tub can easily overflow, your shower or water heater could have a leak… the list goes on and on. Whichever way it happens, your situation stinks big-time. No one likes to come home to their treasured rubber ducky floating down the hallway on their new carpet. But, if this takes place you’ll want to act immediately! Beyond the concern of your escaping ducky, your bigger challenge is the mildew or mold that would LOVE to colonize on your now moist carpets and rugs. This, of course, may lead to other difficulties.
To start, you must look at the situation. If it is a very small amount of water, you may be capable of handling it on your own. It is essential to clear away your furniture, carpets and other things that are damp and bring them away from the wet area. If the carpet in the house isn’t glued or stapled down, move it outdoors. Lay it on your lawn to dry in the sun’s rays. Be certain that it is completely dry prior to deciding to return the rugs to your floor.
If you can’t remove your carpeting, open your windows and switch on any fan you’ve got! Having fresh air blowing over the soaked carpet assists in drying it out. So blow blow blow like Dorothy is depending on you to send her house back to Kansas before she reaches Oz!
When it’s only a small area that’s saturated, use bath towels to mop up the water. Walk across the towels to help them soak up the moisture. Continue this technique until the area is dry. I like to set heavy things like phone books (“what are THOSE things?”) on some areas to help me dry it out. If it’s a bigger area, get out your wet vacuum and then use it to eliminate as much water as possible. If you don’t have a wet vac but you have a carpet shampoo machine you can try using that (without adding any more water). Just do NOT, under any circumstances, use a normal carpet cleaning vacuum!
Your Next Step is to inspect your carpet cushion. If the carpet pad has absorbed lots of water and has become spongy, you’re out of luck. Toss it, and get a new one. I’m sorry, I know this whole things stinks, but don’t give up! If it’s fully waterlogged, you may need to cut it into small sections in order to remove it. Before replacing it, it is very important to clean the floor with bleach to kill any mold or mildew. Allow the floor dry completely. Then you may install a new pad.