RUG ROVER CARPET CLEANING

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My carpet is flooded. What do I do?

One of the risks of having carpet in your home is that it will get wet. If a pipe bursts, your roof leaks, or a big storm causes flooding in your home, your carpeting could suffer. Water can damage your carpet by breaking down carpet fibers and by providing a breeding ground for mold. When your carpet gets flooded, what do you do to reduce damage to your carpet and remedy the problem?

Triage

When you notice your carpet has been flooded, the first thing you should do is identify the source of the water and stop the flow of water into the carpeted area. Once you’ve done that, remove furniture from the area, if possible, and if not, put aluminum foil under the legs or base of the items touching the carpeting; this will prevent further damage to the carpet and the items. Finally, avoid walking on the wet carpeting, which can cause breakdown of the carpet fibers.

Call in the pros

Call in a carpet cleaning service to perform emergency water extraction from your carpet. While you could use a shop vac or other wet/dry vacuum to try to extract water yourself, professional equipment is much more powerful and will improve the chances of your carpet surviving the flood. Professional carpet cleaners will also be able to assess the extent of the damage and determine the best course of action for removing the water from the carpet and carpet pad beneath.

Clean the carpet

Once the water has been completely extracted, you should also get your carpet professionally cleaned--the carpet cleaning service may do this immediately after the water extraction. Even if the water was from a clean water source, like your kitchen faucet, the water still contains particles that can cause carpet soil.

Replace the carpet

In some cases, the damage may be too severe, the water sitting for too long,  or the carpeting too old to salvage after flooding or water damage. After extracting the water from the area, the carpet cleaning technicians should be able to tell you if your carpet needs to be replaced. Flooding or water damage may void your carpet’s warranty as well, which may be a factor in your decision to replace the carpeting.

Flooding can wreak havoc on your carpet, and to increase the chances of saving your carpet and prevent mold, it is crucial that you take immediate action upon discovering that your carpet is flooded. Call a professional carpet cleaning service that offers water extraction, and while you wait for them to arrive, reduce foot traffic and remove furniture from the area. Following these tips can help reduce the damage to your carpet after a water damage event.

Are you in need of water removal and carpet cleaning after a burst pipe or a roof leak? Call Rug Rover.