Whether you are dealing with the consequences of flooding or leaks, dealing with soaked carpets is not an easy task. Wet carpet not only damages the floor, but it can also damage your house, which is an incredible problem.

Read on to learn more about the best way to dry wet carpets and how to prevent further damage.

How do you know if the carpet is wet?

Although it may seem like a stupid question from the beginning, sometimes wet carpets don't actually appear wet. You may have some old moisture remaining under the surface of the carpet. Maybe there is a water leak in a corner of the house. You don't check it often. This is the cause of the wet carpet.

The first problem to solve carpet moisture is the stench emitted from the affected area. If left untreated, this odor will continue to penetrate your indoor air and indeed make your house smelly.

If you find that the moldy smell can't be eliminated with a vacuum cleaner and regular cleaners, then you may be dealing with wet carpets. Other signs of moisture retention may include constant symptoms of illness and allergies in family members and pets, and discoloration of parts of the carpet.

Should you let the wet carpet sit?

Suppose you find that your living room carpet has been soaked when you return from a weekend trip, or you wake up in the form of a flood in the basement and suffer disaster. You may not know how long the leak has occurred, or whether the carpet has been wet for hours or days.

Whenever you soak, once you know that there is a problem, you must take steps to clean up the mess. Leaving the damp carpet not only risks damaging the carpet and the underlayment, but also the risk of damaging the floor.

Unattended wet carpets are prone to mold. When you put moisture in a warm, dark place, these toxins can invade your house – once moisture and mold penetrate the carpet, they cannot be eradicated.

Mold is incredibly toxic to humans and pets. If left untreated, it can affect people who are sensitive to allergens and reduce your quality of life by polluting your home's air supply.

Seven expert tips for wet carpet drying

If you have wet carpets, there is no time to waste. Follow the steps below to properly dry the carpet and prevent the spread of moisture and mold.

1. Remove moisture

The most important part is to stop water from flowing into the problem area first. The easiest way to remove moisture from the carpet is to remove it with a wet vacuum. A wet vacuum cleaner is an ideal tool for removing moisture from carpets. They are relatively cheap, and if you think you only need a wet vacuum cleaner once, you can easily rent one. Besides, you can also consider renting an Alorair Storm Elite dehumidifier, which is the most effective equipment for removing moisture.

2. Evaluate your furniture

If there are furniture and fixtures in the room, check whether the moisture affects these items. Although you can remove, dry, and replace some items, other items (such as upholstered furniture) may require special attention. Unfortunately, you may have to deal with items that severely damage the water.

3. Create airflow

Generate as much airflow as possible in humid areas to help remove odors and moisture in the room. Open the window, turn on the fan, and put the fan on the floor to help dry things.

High-power air movers are most suitable for this task, such as AlorAir® Zeus Extreme Axial air mover and AlorAir® Zeus 900 air mover. However, if you only have a standard fan, a little airflow is better than nothing. Consider using a dehumidifier to remove more moisture from the atmosphere.

4. Replace the carpet pad

In most cases, if water has soaked your carpet, your carpet pad is effective. Replace it to prevent the main carpet from being saturated with mold.

5. Steam cleaning

Steam cleaning wet carpets can remove any toxins and deodorize them. You can do this yourself, or you can call a professional for help. The steam has a high enough temperature to kill any toxins, and it can also remove toxins when the steam cleaner sucks away the dead mold spores.

6. Use baking soda

Baking soda works wonders in lifting and removing residual moisture. Just sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the wet carpet and let it sit for at least half an hour. Then, dry the fresh carpet with a vacuum cleaner.

7. Disinfect other room surfaces

To further prevent mildew, please clean the other surfaces of the room thoroughly. Scrub the walls and skirting boards to remove water and mold from the room.

If you need to dry soaked carpets or other soaked furniture, walls, and floors, please contact us. We provide a variety of drying equipment that can help you restore the flooded room to a new state.