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Water damage is never pretty, and depending on exactly what happened and how long it's been happening, things can become downright ugly. Nothing is as bad as standing in cold, seeping water spreading all over your floors and carpets with no end in sight. While in some cases you may get lucky and end up with flooding in an uncarpeted area of your home, a lot of the times water will end up in the carpet and require different types of restoration in order to bring things back to the way they were. There are two main factors that go into this: the type of water, and how long the water's been around.
For residential properties, the water in a flood emergency is typically going to be clean water, otherwise known as Category 1 Water. This is unpolluted water that usually comes from parts of a home that doesn't transport contaminants, such as the water heater in the garage or a faucet in the bathroom. Carpets affected by clean water are only susceptible to mold and mildew after prolonged exposure, and can usually be restored with prompt action. However, for Categories 2 and 3, which are different levels of contaminated water, an affected carpet may be not worth saving depending on the area that's impacted. If a living room carpet somehow gets soaked in polluted water from a toilet, the economical choice is almost always complete replacement, as disinfecting and cleaning the area would most likely run as much if not more.
The other primary consideration for your carpet is the duration of exposure to the water. If the flooding is addressed quickly, such as when it happens, the carpet can usually be saved before any type of damage occurs. On the other hand, if you've come home after a long vacation to find water pooled in your home, chances are that there's no way to keep your original carpet and replacement is in order. Mold spores are omnipresent in the air, and even a 48-hour timeframe is all it takes for mold and mildew to begin forming.
Carpet that can be restored will usually be handled by the water damage technicians once they arrive on site. The first step will be to extract the excess moisture using vacuums and other specialized tools to get out as much liquid as possible before the air circulators are brought in. If you want to try and handle the drying on your own, be careful as waterlogged carpet will weigh quite a bit more than dry carpeting. Also, if the drying is not performed properly, carpet may delaminate once the bonding adhesive on the backing dissolves, causing it to peel away from the padding. If you're not sure how to dry the carpet on your own, leave the task to the professionals.
Provided that the best case scenario happens and your carpet is properly restored, at the end of the job your technician will most likely perform a final carpet cleaning to bring your floors back to the way they were pre-disaster. In some cases, the cleaned carpet may actually look better, depending on how long it's been since you've last had a cleaning. But regardless of what the outcome is, be sure that the technicians do not leave your carpet looking worse than before your emergency!
For residential properties, the water in a flood emergency is typically going to be clean water, otherwise known as Category 1 Water. This is unpolluted water that usually comes from parts of a home that doesn't transport contaminants, such as the water heater in the garage or a faucet in the bathroom. Carpets affected by clean water are only susceptible to mold and mildew after prolonged exposure, and can usually be restored with prompt action. However, for Categories 2 and 3, which are different levels of contaminated water, an affected carpet may be not worth saving depending on the area that's impacted. If a living room carpet somehow gets soaked in polluted water from a toilet, the economical choice is almost always complete replacement, as disinfecting and cleaning the area would most likely run as much if not more.
The other primary consideration for your carpet is the duration of exposure to the water. If the flooding is addressed quickly, such as when it happens, the carpet can usually be saved before any type of damage occurs. On the other hand, if you've come home after a long vacation to find water pooled in your home, chances are that there's no way to keep your original carpet and replacement is in order. Mold spores are omnipresent in the air, and even a 48-hour timeframe is all it takes for mold and mildew to begin forming.
Carpet that can be restored will usually be handled by the water damage technicians once they arrive on site. The first step will be to extract the excess moisture using vacuums and other specialized tools to get out as much liquid as possible before the air circulators are brought in. If you want to try and handle the drying on your own, be careful as waterlogged carpet will weigh quite a bit more than dry carpeting. Also, if the drying is not performed properly, carpet may delaminate once the bonding adhesive on the backing dissolves, causing it to peel away from the padding. If you're not sure how to dry the carpet on your own, leave the task to the professionals.
Provided that the best case scenario happens and your carpet is properly restored, at the end of the job your technician will most likely perform a final carpet cleaning to bring your floors back to the way they were pre-disaster. In some cases, the cleaned carpet may actually look better, depending on how long it's been since you've last had a cleaning. But regardless of what the outcome is, be sure that the technicians do not leave your carpet looking worse than before your emergency!
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