How To Repair Carpet Water Damage

Carpet water damage can cause irreversible damage to your home if you don’t handle it quickly and efficiently. But getting ready to clean water off of your carpets and understanding how to repair water damaged carpets isn’t always straightforward.

Get to grips with the details of repairing carpets after water damage and learn how experts can restore your home to its former glory, avoiding the need for water damage restoration.

The Causes Of Water Damaged Carpets

Unfortunately, your home is always susceptible to water damage, especially to any carpets you have in the building.

Of course, you might spill a glass of water onto the carpet by accident every so often, but the more common instances that can cause serious water damage to your carpets include:

• Clean water damage: This can include rainwater, broken appliances in the home or a burst water pipe
• Greywater damage: This is can include water that is slightly contaminated, such as toilet water, a bathtub or a dishwasher
• Blackwater damage: This can include water that is highly contaminated, such as water from a sewage pipe

Carpets can also become water damaged from a more gradual stream of water, such as a hidden leak underneath the carpet. This type of water damage can be difficult to spot, as it’s consistently leaking over a long period of time, and you’re more likely to notice the smell of damp and stagnant water before the wet carpet itself.

The Most Common Signs Of Water Damaged Carpets

There are multiple ways to spot water-damaged carpets before the problem becomes too difficult to remedy. So keeping your eyes out for the obvious signs is the first step to avoiding irreparable water damage.

1. Mould and mildew – When water gets trapped in the carpet, moisture and oxygen can create spores and grow on the surface that will develop into mould. If you see even just a few spores, you’ll have water damaged carpet on your hands!
2. Floors and Walls Are Changing Shape – If you see carpet or tiles becoming lose, you can assume there is water damage that is causing the structure to warp or buckle. This is not a difficult sign to spot, but make sure you handle the issue quickly.
3. Separating Carpet Backing – If the backing of the carpet has separated, this is a clear and common sign of water damage. The backing is attached with a latex adhesive, but this will detach itself when it comes into contact with water, making the carpet wrinkle.

How To Repair Water Damaged Carpet

Assess The Damage

Understanding the amount of damage caused by water, how extensive it is and where the water has come from is the first step to assessing the situation.

Locate The Source Of The Leak

Before any reparation can begin, locating the source of the leak and the consequential water damage is important. Once you’ve found the source of the leak, redirect the water away from the carpet, or cut off the source.

Note: It’s important that you determine how contaminated the water is before handling any damaged materials in the area.

Clear The Space

To make sure that everyone working in the area is kept safe, ensure that you have had any hazardous items removed from the area before the repairs on the damage can begin. Also, remove any valuables, furniture or other materials that can be affected by the water damage.

Use A Wet Vacuum

Using a wet vac can dry carpets after water damage however, it is incredibly time-consuming. Going back and forth slowly over the affected area will draw any moisture and excess water out of the saturated carpet. This method is also relatively inexpensive but not suitable if you need to assess damage further down into the carpet.

Soak Up Excess Water With Towels

It’s nearly impossible to repair water damaged carpets if they have not been properly drained of excess water. Grabbing old towels to soak up any additional water before or after more in-depth methods have been used is a great way to clear out any remaining moisture.

Call The Professionals

Being able to salvage water damaged carpet isn’t an easy task. With so many layers being exposed to excess water, mould growth and irreparable damage to the material are almost guaranteed if you don’t have a professional handling the situation. Call in an expert team to work hard and restore your carpets to their best quality. In the meantime, make sure you’re opening windows in the room, placing dehumidifiers around the water damaged carpet and leaving heavy-duty sponges on the affected area.

Should Carpets Be Replaced Following Water Damage?

Carpets that have had excess water damaging them for over three days often need replacing, especially if there is padding underneath them. Padding replacement is also an option, as the carpet itself can be fully dried out and ready to relay, over top of fresh padding.

Water can severely impact carpet padding, so drying it out isn’t always the best and most long-lasting solution to mitigating the damages of water leaking onto a carpet. Of course, there is no strict timeframe for when you need to replace carpet padding, so assessing it properly is key.

How Quickly Can Mould Grow In Wet Carpet?

Mould can grow in a matter of hours on wet carpet, with it taking just 24 to 48 hours to begin growing. This is why it is so important to handle water damaged carpets with speed, efficiency and expertise, as once mould has begun growing it can be incredibly difficult and expensive to fully remove from your home.

Fully Restore Your Carpets With Rainbow International

With decades of experience handling water damaged carpets, our expert team know exactly how to restore your home back to its usual standard. They’re trained in spotting any concerning signs and finding permanent solutions, so you can relax in the knowledge that your carpets are fully dried, cleaned and suitable for your home.

Having expert support is very important, as the health impact of growing mould in your home can be severe and difficult to resolve.

Get In Touch With Rainbow International For Expert Help!

Our team of experts understand how important your home is to you and your loved ones, so get in touch to enlist their help in preventing any further damage from water damaged carpets, and have yours fixed up and handed back to you in the best condition possible!