Carpets have an important role in interiors. It adds insulation and reduces sound. Large carpets with complicated and colorful designs immediately add impact and grandiosity to spaces. Meanwhile, Carpets add a cozy ambiance to any room but are notoriously hard to clean. Carpets need regular maintenance, otherwise, it just becomes a dust and dirt magnet. Spills on carpets must be fixed quickly, otherwise, it turns into a stubborn stain.
Carpets are beautiful accessories to any room and beauty demands tough sacrifices. If carpets have been submerged in flood it would need serious cleaning! Know how to save your carpets after a flood and save yourself from the elbow grease.
Remove Water as Quickly as Possible: DIY or Pros?
There are many types of water damage. Weather-related disasters, burst pipes, and sewage overflow are the types of water damage that can destroy your property and your carpet! Water can flood a room damaging your furniture and the carpet on the floor. When it’s time to clean up the mess, should you DIY or call on flood restoration experts? DIY is less costly but it demands more legwork although you can get decent results from renting equipment. If you want your carpet cleaned fast the pros definitely win out. Professional cleaners with their much more advanced equipment can clean away debris, heavy soils, and large stains.
Use Fans to Speed Up the Carpet Drying Process
To dry a carpet fast you need the moisture to evaporate. HVAC systems and air humidifiers circulate air across the carpet, speeding up the process. If you are drying out the carpet during the day you can ventilate with fresh air if the outdoor air is dryer indoors.
Use a Dehumidifier to Dry Out the Room
To dry wet carpet quickly you may need to dedicate an entire day to dry it. Open all the windows and run a dehumidifier for 24 hours to dry the wet carpet. Air conditioning is a good dehumidifier because it pulls moisture out of the air. If the outside air is damp or if it’s been raining you may have to rely solely on air movers to dry the carpet. This is one of the reasons why you should keep your air conditioning on check by contacting an air conditioning service company for a maintenance check.
Steam Clean Carpet & Flooring
You need to slide the furniture out when you start steam cleaning the carpet. Do this to avoid damaging your furniture in order to have easy access to the carpet surface. Start by vacuum cleaning the carpet before steam cleaning. Vacuuming removes the layer of dust and dirt on the carpet. Steam cleaning gives your carpets a more thorough and deeper clean that removes stubborn stains and grime. Steam cleaning your carpet will be more efficient after a vacuum cleaner and will guarantee you better results.
Sanitize Walls & Baseboards
Sanitize every part of the room including walls and baseboards. After a flood, your carpet may not be the only source of dirt and mildew. Especially when your walls are painted, use soap and water to clean your walls and baseboards. After the initial cleaning, apply part water to 1.5 parts of bleach. Scrub the area to remove dirt and grime. It is better to make sure that every area in the room has been sanitized before you lay down a clean carpet.
Check Furniture
Furniture that has been submerged in flood will have mildew, dirt and foul smell. Furniture that has been wet too long will promote mold growth. Look for signs of water damage such as stains and streaks. Any peeling or cracking suggests serious water damage and you may have to consider replacing your furniture or hiring professional restorers to fix the damage.
After a flood, you want to get back on your feet and make your interiors normal and livable again. Fixing and sanitizing your home is part of the process. Getting your carpet sanitized and dry will vary, depending on the size of your carpet. On average it will take about one to five days. You may decide to hire professional flood restoration services to clean up your carpet including other items.
DIY is a long process and if the damage is severe, cleanup may require professional equipment and machinery. Drying a carpet is tedious and requires the use of dehumidifiers and HVAC systems. If the weather is humid it will take longer for a carpet to dry. Consult with professionals to have a better gauge of how long the drying process will be. Consider hiring pros to get better, faster and more efficient results.