When a wood or tile floor get wet it can often be enough to just mop up any standing water and run over the area with a towel. But how about carpet? What happens when carpet becomes absolutely saturated? This reader is asking about that exact subject.
"I had a leak in my master bathroom and it caused some flooding in the bedroom. The bedroom is carpeted and now one corner of the room is completely saturated! I used a shop-vac to get most of the water but the area is still really damp, can I just leave it to air dry?"
When carpet gets completely saturated by flooding it can be very difficult to completely dry. Carpet pads act like a giant sponge, absorbing water and spreading it through the whole thing. In addition to causing the carpet dry out to be difficult, this produces an ideal environment for mold growth. If the carpet starts to have a musty smell it's a sure sign of mold growth.
Because of the fact that carpet can take so long to fully dry and the fact that mold grows so quickly (usually showing up in as little as 24 to 48 hours) it's not a good idea to just try to let a carpet air dry. Drying wet carpet needs specialized equipment if the carpet has been entirely saturated. Industrial dehumidifiers and specialized fans are used in this process to make sure all the moisture has been entirely removed.
If flooding has caused saturated, wet carpet, consider contacting a company who is certified in water removal and dry out procedures to handle the carpet drying.
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