How To Dry Wet Carpet In Vancouver, Washington

Let's be real, if you have to call a water damage restoration company in Vancouver, Washington EVERY time your carpet gets wet then you very well might be calling them every week (especially if you have kids), and also driving your insurance company crazy, and rates through the roof!

So How Do You Dry Wet Carpet?

Ok, what would we consider a small amount of water?

Well, that would be like a sink overflowing to where maybe a gallon or two, or less, (or a bit more) has soaked into the carpet and padding.

Again, as stated earlier, we are not talking about MANY gallons of water.

What are the main causes of water soaking your carpet?

There are a six main causes:

1. A sink overflowing in the kitchen or bathroom.

2. A toilet overflowing.

3. A container of water, juice, coffee, etc. being accidentally spilled on the carpet.

4. A leaking pipe.

5. A roof leaking.

6. Water getting in from a window.

So how are you going to dry the wet carpet?

It's actually very straight forward, in most cases, if you follow the procedures we are about to go over.

A. The first step is to stop the source of the water that has gotten onto the carpet.

If it is a toilet, sink, pipe, roof, or window that is the source of the water - make sure those issues are addressed immediately - especially in the case of a toilet, sink, or pipe.

B. Try to locate all of the water; not just an obvious area where you feel, or see, the most amount of water. Water is tricky! It can migrate to areas you never thought possible, and cause issues down the road.

C. Get as much of the water out of the carpet, and pad, as soon as possible.

The key is how you go about removing the water.

A wet/dry vac is a very good option for water removal. If you have a wet/dry vac immediately start extracting the water, and be very diligent about this step.

Take your time; if you are getting water out of the carpet and pad, even very small amounts, keep extracting until you are CONVINCED you have gotten as much of the water out of the carpet as you can get.

What do you do if you do not have a wet/dry vac?

Well, your only other option (besides buying a wet/dry vac, renting one, getting one from a neighbor or family member, or calling a water damage company) is to use the most absorbent towels that you have.

Take the towels, put them on the carpet, and then apply weight to the towels. Really make sure those towels are absorbing as much of the water as possible. By adding weight you are "squeezing" the water from the carpet and/or pad into the towels.

Having to use towels is much slower, and labor intensive, than using a wet/dry vac.

So be patient, and use as many towels as you can, and continue until you can get no moisture onto the towel (or at least the towel is taking a long time to absorb much water).

D. If the pad is wet, and in many cases it will be, then you have to make sure there is sufficient air flow to the pad. This probably means pulling up a side of the carpet so more air can get to the padding.

E. Get as much airflow on the carpet, on top of the carpet, and underneath the carpet, as you possibly can.

Fans are great for this. Don't be shy, turn them up and really get the air moving OVER the surface that is wet. Use as many fans as you can - the more the merrier.

F. Do not remove these fans until you are absolutely CONVINCED THE CARPET AND PAD ARE DRY.

If, after a few hours, the carpet feels dry - then let those fans run a hour or two longer. In many cases it is going to make much longer than a few hours to get the carpet and pad completely dry. It might take 12 to 24 hours, even longer. But keep the fans on the carpet until you are absolutely positively convinced the carpet is dry.

Airflow is vital to any type of structure drying.

G. Open the windows if the weather permits. 

In Vancouver, many months of the year, the weather outside is humid (plenty of rain), and does not accomodate fast drying.

But if the weather is fairly dry, then open the windows, because the moisture the fans are helping pull out of the wet carpet and pad needs to go someplace else!

If the air inside the home is more humid than the air outside the home, that humid indoor air will move towards drier air. This helps dry times.

H. Spray a disinfectant on your carpet to help control any possible mold growth or bacterial issues.

And this brings up something that is very important:

When we are talking about taking care of wet carpets and pad, we are talking about water that has basically come from MOSTLY clean sources.

If the water in your carpet and pad has come from really dirty outside water, or from sewage that was in a toilet, then you really should call a professional. This type of BLACK water needs to be handled correctly or serious bacterial growth could become a problem.

But if the water came from a toilet (not sewage) that overflowed, a sink that overflowed, or a pipe that was leaking CLEAN WATER, you can handle small amounts of water in your carpet or pad fairly confidently using the procedures in this article.

If there is more than just a gallon or two or three, and the water is grey or black water, you should call a water damage company. They will have the knowledge, tools, and proper cleaning agents to get your structure dry safely and effectively.

At Linton's Carpet Cleaning we offer high-quality professional water damage restoration services in Vancouver. If you have issues with any type of water damage please give us a call today.