Blog Post
Water Leak Tips – What to Do When Your Carpet Gets Very Wet To Prevent Further Damage
No one should underestimate the damage that water leakage can cause to your home or basement. Floods, leaky or broken pipes, broken appliances and other sources can all result in destructive water damage to your home.
What to Do When Basement Carpet Gets Very Wet
Nothing's worse than going down to the basement and discovering your carpets are soaked! It can be caused from any number of problems including damaged or cracked pipes, an overflowed or broken washer, or simple a hard rain. The most important thing is to act promptly to avoid any additional water damage to your property. If water is left standing or saturated in your carpet or rugs it can cause mildew or mold to develop which could become a health issue for your family. Water left under the carpet could eventually cause cracks in your basement foundation.
Here are a few suggestions you should consider if your basement carpet gets wet to help avoid further damage…
- Call a Professional – Most home and business owners can clean up a very small water leakage as long as action is taken fast. However if you carpet is thoroughly soaked, it becomes impossible to extract the water and dry out the carpet without professional grade equipment. You'll save money and hassle by calling a profession first to help you!
- Remove Furniture and Items From the Area – The most obvious step is to remove all items from the wet area of the carpet to a safe dry place. Next open any windows or doors in the area to allow air to flow through.
- E xtract the Water – Now you need to get rid of as much water in the carpet as possible. Use a dry vacuum for this just be sure not to push down too much because that may cause the water to extend further into corners. When the vacuum canister gets full be sure to empty it. It might take several sweeps to get the water extracted.
- Dry the Carpet – Turn on any fans you have and put them in various places to allow air flow to help the carpets get dry quicker.
- Use Dehumidifiers – Use of a dehumidifier will help the drying process. Expect the drying process to take several and be sure to keep air flowing in the area to help prevent mold and mildew in the carpeting. Once the carpet appears dry, use the dry vacuum again and check to be sure no additional water is being extracted.
Wet Carpets Need Thorough Action Quick
If your carpet has been wet for about 72 hours it may be damaged beyond repair. Sometimes it may be considered a category 3 (black water loss) where even a professional restoration service is unable to save the carpet. In that case your only solution is to remove the carpet and padding to avoid mold and mildew issues. Timing is extremely important when your carpet gets flooded or wet. Your goal is to save the carpet. Therefore, if you've established that the carpeting is drenched, it's probably time to call the professional restoration company.
Professional Restoration Companies Work Best With Insurance Companies
Good restoration companies will respond with about an hour and hey can help you work with your insurance company and evaluate the damage as well as processing the restoration of your damaged areas. You want someone there who knows how to fix the situation for the least amount of out of pocket expense.
A good restoration company can make sure your water or wind or fire damage is fixed right and that you're out of pocket damage liability is kept to a minimum. We've helped numerous home and business owners and they and their insurance company always appreciate our surgical approach to restoration!