Carpets being damaged by water as a result of leakage or flooding are not an uncommon thing. Although you can actually prevent it from happening, you still have to be very prepared in case you experience it in your own home. Water damaged carpets are not easy to clean and repair, but if you have the proper knowledge and understanding of how to do it, you will have a higher chance of saving your carpet and restoring it to its original state. Here are four simple steps on how you could salvage your carpet in the case of water damage.


Step 1. Determine the source of the water and assess the degree of damage done to the carpet. If the carpet has been soaked in clean water from your tap, it can possibly be saved and restored, although it would still depend on how long it remained in the water before you found it. However, if the carpet has been exposed to black water flooding or toilet water, it has very little or no chance at all of being cleaned and restored. If this is the case, you might as well dispose the carpet and replace it with a new one immediately.

Step 2. Whether the carpet has been damaged by unsanitary water or not, you will still have to disinfect it first. Before cleaning the contaminated area, dehumidify the room first to prevent the growth of bacteria. To disinfect, add 2 tablespoons of liquid bleach to 1 gallon of water and use it to scrub off dirt from affected area. If possible, remove tack strips, take carpet off the floor, and treat it outside to avoid getting the wall and other furniture wet. Using a pressurized hose, wash the carpet thoroughly and scrub it with a commercial grade carpet shampoo.

Step 3. Dry the carpet using a large fan or a vacuum. If the carpet is large, it would take 24-36 hours for it to dry completely. To avoid soiling the carpet, advise everyone in the house to keep off for a while. Or, you can place a barrier around the carpet to prevent people from stepping on it while it is still wet. If the carpet is not too large, you can hang it in a dehumidified room to dry. Observe the carpet while drying, and if you don’t see a significant improvement in the damaged part after 12 hours, you might as well consider replacing it with a new one.

Step 4. Contact your insurance company and inquire what specific help they can offer you with regards to your dilemma. There’s a possibility that would be willing to offer you a replacement help for the carpet so don’t be hasty in deciding on buying a brand new carpet. In the same manner, if the damage done to your carpet is beyond your ability to repair, you might as well hire a professional to get the job done for you.