Flooded Carpets

When we talk about flooded carpets we need to talk about the extra care required to dry and restore them back to their former, or in most cases, better condition. However, the sooner you call us determines just how long the wet carpet clean-up will take.

When dealing with water damage situations, wet carpets can be one of the most difficult parts of any water damage restoration process. Whilst there are other factors that will need to be considered, your carpets are the most absorbent and susceptible to fragility and bacteria as they remain wet.

Almost every home has carpet in at least one room. Generally the bedroom is almost a certainty and another almost certain thing is that there will be an ensuite in that bedroom.

This means that we do not need a natural disaster such as floods, storms or heavy rain to cause flooded carpets. The statistics for flooded carpets due to ensuite accidents is staggering. The causes of wet carpets are many and varied from overflowed bath and blocked basin to backed up drains and broken pipes. But whatever the cause and whatever the level of seriousness, it is imperative that immediate action is taken to minimise the damage to the carpets and thereby increasing the chances of a successful end result leaving you with fresh carpets in top condition.

It is worth noting that a flooded carpet cannot be properly restored simply by using a basic procedure as that used for carpet drying. In serious water damage situations, once a carpet has become waterlogged it may need to be removed from the floor and the wet state of the carpet makes it difficult to handle. In less severe instances, the carpet can be dried while in place but at least one of the edges will need to be raised to allow the air movers to get good airflow from the underside.

In a situation where the flooding has come from an unknown source such as under the floor, pipes in a wall, outside drains, leaks from the roof area, it is imperative that the carpet is tested for any exposure to contaminants that may have been in the water. If this is not done correctly you will be subjecting your family to a variety of bacteria which can cause serious illness.

Why is it important to get your water damaged carpets attended to urgently?

Once a carpet gets wet it begins to deteriorate virtually immediately. The longer the carpet remains wet, the fibre breakdown accelerates. There is a common belief that mopping up the water with towels and then have a ceiling or vertical fan running a few hours will dry the wet carpets. This is not true. Your carpet may feel dry to touch on the top but you can be certain that the backing and underlay is still wet. If you leave your carpets wet, you also leave your sub-floors wet and then you get into a whole new area of problems which will continue to expand.

I cannot stress enough how essential it is to maintain proper care of wet carpets to avoid not only carpet damage but stop any infestation of germs, bacteria and the inevitable mould growth.

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