What Should You Do About Carpet Water Damage?

10/6/2021 (Permalink)

When water strikes, what can you do?

What Should You Do About Carpet Water Damage?

What Should You Do About Carpet Water Damage?

Are you unsure what to do after discovering that your carpet has been damaged by water? Learn what to do about carpet water damage here.

There's nothing worse than coming home to find carpet water damage. Even if it has never happened to you before, it is good to know what to do if you ever experience flooding or leaks in your home. 

So let's take a look at some different water damage restoration situations you may encounter and how to deal with them!

Clean-Up

The first thing to do is to fix the source of the leak. It's a good idea to keep some waterproof tape on hand so you can make a quick fix even if you don't have any plumbing know-how. But you should get a permanent fix as soon as possible.

Once the leak is stopped, sop up all the water you can with towels.

Once you've done that, you can run to the store and grab a big bag of rice. You may have heard that putting a soaked cell phone in a bag of rice can make it like new again. The same idea works with spreading the rice on the soaked carpet. 

You can also rent a high-powered vacuum cleaner. Unlike normal vacuums, these can suck up liquids as well as dust and dirt. 

Once you have soaked up all the water you can, leave a fan blowing on the damaged area overnight. 

Damage Assessment

If you find that the damaged area is still wet, that can actually be a good thing. If you can still see the water, that usually means it hasn't been there too long. The water hasn't had time to soak into the carpet and cause real damage. 

In these cases, it is usually enough to soak up the water and use fans to make sure it gets dry. 

But if the water has been left standing for a while, then you have a bigger problem. Water damage mold will have set in by that point, and that's when you have serious carpet water damage. 

How Can I Fix Carpet Water Damage?

The first thing you can try is to shampoo your carpet. You would be surprised by how much of a difference you can make with a good scrubbing. Carpets that seems hopelessly discolored can make a comeback with nothing more than shampoo. 

If you are working on an area rug, it helps to bring the rug outside to hang it up to dry. 

When Do I Need to Replace My Carpet?

If the carpet still has stains after a thorough shampooing, it is time to think about replacing the damaged area. 

Hopefully, your local hardware store will be able to find a match for your carpet. In that case, you can cut out the damaged area and just replace that. 

But if you have an older carpet, it may no longer be possible to find a match. That would make it necessary to replace the entire carpet.

When in Doubt, Call on the Pros

Whatever the situation is, you need to act fast. Carpet water damage gets worse in a short amount of time, so don't wait around. It won't get better on its own!

If you've got a water damage repair situation that can't be fixed with the above methods, contact us right away. We have the tools and expertise to get the job done and stop the damage from spreading.