Tips For Addressing Water-Damaged Carpeting
If you've recently suffered water damage to your home, one of the things that may have been affected was your carpeting. While you might want to preserve that carpet and restore it, there are some things you need to think about first. You can reach out to a water damage restoration contractor, but before you do, here are a couple of key tips.
Know Exactly What You're Dealing With
First thing's first. You shouldn't even think about doing any kind of restoration to your carpeting until you know exactly where the water came from, that the water source has been turned off, and that there are no risks of any kind of hazardous exposure.
Hazardous exposure can come from a few different places. First, make sure you know what kind of padding is beneath your carpet. If it has any kind of hazardous materials in it, or anything that can be rendered hazardous with water exposure, don't try to do any restoration yourself. In addition, you can also risk hazardous exposure in the water itself. If the water didn't come from a clean supply source, it could be contaminated. Water from your inbound pipes, rain, snow melt, or something similar is typically safe. However, if the water came from any other source, there's risk of contamination.
Don't Waste Time
The longer your carpet is wet, the greater your risk of mold growth. Remember that mold spores can begin growing very soon after water exposure, so you don't want to waste any time. Aim to have the carpet dry within a day or two of the water damage starting.
To dry the carpet out, start by opening as many windows as you can. Use a water extractor to draw as much of the excess water out of the carpet as possible. If it's soaked beneath to the pad, pull up the carpet and replace the pad while you're at it. Carpet padding will hold water, and it will cause mold on your floorboards, and ultimately on the carpet too.
Set up some industrial or large fans that will help move air around in the affected area. The air circulation will encourage faster drying. If you don't have access to fans like these, you should contact a water damage restoration contractor or a cleaning service that specializes in water damage repairs. They will have the equipment and the expertise to eliminate the residual water and ensure that your carpeting and home are clean, dry, and safe.
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