With winter unfortunately fast approaching, the prospect of floods and heavy rainfall affecting the interior of your home becomes more of a pressing issue.
Carpet water damage affects many homes, especially in dense forested and low-lying areas.
With our fair city forecasted for some of the most torrential rainfall since records began, it’s essential to know what steps to take should the unexpected happen.
As experts in water damage restoration, we at Jena’s have provided four easy tips to minimise water damage to carpets as much as possible.
Dry the Area as Quickly as Possible
The padding underneath your carpet and the rug itself are highly absorbent materials. Acting as sponges, they will draw in any liquid that is present.
It creates severe problems as this damp material is then prone to culturing mould, mildew and various forms of dangerous fungi spores.
When water damage has occurred, it is vital that you immediately ventilate the room.
Opening all windows and utilising any stand-alone fans you may have is a good start, and will help prevent an environment for mould and mildew to occur.
An industrial “wet-dry” vacuum, which is powerful enough to draw out the moisture, will also aid in drying the damaged area.
It’s essential to use only powerful vacuums, as the conventional vacuum cleaner won’t be strong enough to draw the dampness out.
They can also create corn rowing on the carpet or, even worse, rip the carpet from its seams.
For further reading, we wrote an article recently regarding things not to do when confronting wet stains on the carpet.
Use Specialised Carpet Cleaning Products
Concentrated chemical and carpet shampoo products can help to prevent the possibility of fungus growing from the wet carpet.
However, there are thousands of brands and products to choose from, and not all of them remove the cultivation of fungi.
It is recommended that you speak to a professional carpet cleaner before you use this method.
Use Desiccants
Desiccants, or silica gel as they are more commonly known, are reasonably competent in the absorption of water from many fabrics.
Strategic placement of large desiccants will help to draw out moisture from both the carpet and carpet underlay and also help to dehumidify the immediately surrounding area.
On top of desiccants, dedicated dehumidifiers and air filtration devices will also aid this process, albeit in a smaller way.
While not ensure complete removal of the damage, they can minimise the prospect of spores entering the atmosphere.
Fungal spores are a particular health risk, as they can cause symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. They can also, in the worst-case scenario, cause mycosis, which can be potentially fatal.
Call in the Experts
Jena’s Carpet Cleaning possesses considerable experience in dealing with water damage restoration.
We can let you know if you need to replace your carpet.
When your home is subject to water damage, or just for general carpet cleaning services and advice, call us directly on 1300 887 131.
Our friendly staff for water damage carpet drying are more than willing to go through a step-by-step restoring your water damaged carpet to its original condition.