5 Effective Measures to Prevent Carpet Water Damage to Happen
Water damage leads to mold, which then causes a number of health problems. Cleaning up any water the second it hits your carpet Houston (or in the case of a flood, as soon as you’re able to) is the only way to prevent this from happening. Thankfully, getting the water out of your carpet is much less difficult than it sounds. All that you need are some simple items that you probably already have laying around your home and these tips from Wraps Studio.
1) Take All of the Furniture Out of the Room
The first step involves removing everything from the room. Things like heavy furniture and waterlogged books and magazines will just add to the mess. Taking them out of the space will make it easier to dry out the carpet.
2) Remove as Much of the Water from the Carpeting as possible
You’ll need a shop vac and plenty of towels for this task. The shop vac will suck up plenty of water, leaving the carpeting damp. In order to get most of the water out, you may need to use the towels to squeeze the surface of the carpet. Just lay them flat and apply some pressure. This is a great trick that’s used by many of the pros at Wraps Studio.
3) Sanitize Everything in That Space
Next, you need to sanitize everything the room. You won’t be able to clean the carpet Houston until it dries thoroughly, but you can get to everything around it. Mold will also grow on the walls, furniture, and all of the items that you have in the space. Start by mixing a solution of one part bleach to three parts water. Wear gloves and use a soft cloth to bleach every hard surface in the room. This will kill any mold and prevent it from spreading from the walls to the still-damp carpeting.
4) Allow Your Carpet to Dry
Your carpet needs to dry entirely in order to prevent mold from setting in. After you remove as much water as possible from it, set up some fans in the room and aim them at the floor. In most cases, you won’t be able to point them directly at the floor (unless you have some way of fastening them in place at the correct angle) but the fans will definitely help. Depending on the weather, you may want to open the windows, too. Fresh air definitely speeds up the process.
5) Replace the Padding
Out of everything in the home, the padding located between your carpeting and the subfloor receives the most damage. It’s made of a material that’s easily waterlogged, and due to its location, is rather tough to dry. Since replacing the padding in much less expensive than buying new carpeting, this is a relatively affordable way of preventing mold. Carefully lift your carpeting (this will also help it dry properly) and remove the old padding. Install a new one before fastening the carpet to the floor.
