Carpet Water Damage

There are a variety of companies that can help you in the case of carpet water damage.  Depending on the type of carpet and padding you may need to hire the services of a professional water damage restoration expert to repair your carpet water damage. Determining the source of carpet water damage is your first step in its repair. You need to fix the occurrence of any water leak that is causing damage to your carpet before activating any procedure to repair it.

If you do not fix the leak properly then numerous more problems would be created that may lead to the need for replacement of your carpet rather than adopting the procedures of repair. This always is a much greater cost than a repair as you will need to replace the carpet padding and have to pay some kind of additional installation fees. Continuing water leaks can cause additional damage to the sub-floor or baseboards and walls which can create more expensive repairs.

If the water damage is restricted to mere staining then any number of carpets cleaning companies can help you with your carpet water damage. If the water damage is only from water from broken pipes of a leaky faucet in your house, standard carpet cleaners will address your problem and you will have clean carpets in less than a day. If the carpet water damage is from flood waters or a defective septic system then there are many other sanitary considerations to be addressed as a remedy.

Carpet water damage from city water does not need additional treatment other than a mold inhibitor if it was wet for more than a day or so. If the water comes from flooding, run off or a septic system, you may have E coli bacteria issues that will need some sort of antimicrobial treatment along with a mold inhibitor, regular cleaners and a deodorizer as well.

There are specialty carpet cleaning and restoration companies that deal with all of these types of carpet water damage. All you need to do is go to your local Yellow Pages and look online or consult Angie’s list of excellent recommendations for good carpet cleaners.

Having your problem with water damage addressed promptly will save you from having to replace all of your carpet. Once the mold resumes growing in the carpet or in the padding, treating the condition becomes next to impossible. Black mold is a serious problem that causes acute respiratory distress in both the young and the old. Any possibility of mold must be avoided at all costs.

In some stubborn staining situations it may be necessary to cut out the piece of affected carpet and replace it. This can usually be done with newer carpet that is readily available commercially or privately. The easiest situation is if the stain is near a seam in the carpet. The replacement piece can be placed in with little effort. Any stain that cannot be removed through normal carpet cleaning treatments should probably mean that the carpet needs to be replaced. There are many carpets on the market today that have antimicrobial treatments impregnated in the fibers to prevent the development of bacteria and mold in the carpet.

In severe cases of carpet water damage you will have to have the carpet pulled up, dried out and get the sub floor inspected for damage as well. If the sub floor is soft or warped, the affected sections must be replaced to prevent an unstable walking surface. In these cases the sub floor should also be treated and sterilized with some sort of antimicrobial and bleach solution to eliminate odours, bacteria and mold. Once the sub floor has been repaired and disinfected and the carpet has been completely dried out then it can be reinstalled and restretched. You may want to have the carpet cleaned and deodorized as well once it has been reinstalled.

Your carpet will hold up better over time and show dirt less if you use a dry cleaning process similar to what Chem-Dry uses. Water based cleaners leave a residue that actually attracts dirt and particles. To summarize the whole objective, if you have carpet water damage please make sure that you find the source of the water leak and take care of it. Once that is done figure out whether you just need a good carpet cleaner or a water restoration specialist based on the length of time your carpet was wet and the intensity of damage in the carpet.

A few related hubs about water damage for you folks:

Cleaning Water Damage
Drywall Water Damage
Laptop Water Damage