How To Effectively Restore A Carpet From Water Damage

Covering the floor with a good quality carpet not only increases the aesthetics of the room they also ensure proper insulation of the room where they are installed.

They are thus a multi-functional flooring alternative which is also quite popular for the advantages it offers.

However, carpets are extremely vulnerable to water and thus get easily damaged when there is a water leak or flooding prevailing in a house. But they can be repaired and restores if action is taken quickly and immediately. There are 5 essential steps that need to be followed immediately when a carpet gets soaked in water. They are:

• Assessment of damage:It is very important to assess not only the damage but also the source of the water damaging the same. This is because not all carpet soakings are salvageable. Hence the type of water soaking the carpet needs to be firstly determined and the following things need to be kept in mind.
• If it is clean water from either the taps or rain that has resulted in carpet soaking, the carpet cam be very easily restored but
• If the water soaking the carpet is black and comes from contaminated sources like toilets, sewage or groundwater, the carpet needs to be replaced immediately.
• Determining the water source: Typically water soaking the carpet can come from an intermitted source or a continuous source. An intermittent source can be anything from an overflowing bath tub, a sudden localised water spillage etc. A continuous source of leak is generally more bothersome and causes greater damage to the carpet. In fact many a times if the water leak is a small one, the soaking of the carpet goes unnoticed for a long time and thus causes greater damage to the same. In these cases, the source of the water leak has to be determined and immediately stopped for good or the carpet has to be removed from that region and placed somewhere else where it is dry with no chances of a water leak.
• Area of damage: The whole process of repair and restore for a water damaged carpet also depends on the area of the carpet that has been damaged. Thus the process of repair can be of either of the two types mentioned below.
• A small water soaked area: Herein, the extent of the area of damage needs to be clearly and precisely determined. This area then needs to be disinfected using a home-made solution of clean water and liquid bleach in the ratio of 1:2. The contaminated area needs to be scrubbed clean and left to day properly. Any furniture or other object sitting on it needs to be removed to facilitate free flow of air to enhance the drying process.
• The whole carpet is damaged: In this case, the carpet needs to be initially dried thoroughly by either using large fans or placing it in intense sunlight for a few days. Foot traffic needs to be kept away from a drying carpet. Then the carpet needs to be thoroughly vacuumed to remove all dust and dirt particles as well as microbes present in it, lastly it needs to be disinfected to prevent the growth of harmful microorganisms, molds and mildew.

The key to the restoration of a water damaged carpet is quick action. This not only prevents molds and mildew from growing in it and seriously impacting the health, it also ensures proper restoration to its former glory.