Can Wet Carpet Padding Be Saved

The environmental protection agency advises us that it is necessary to act immediately when your carpet gets wet.

Can wet carpet padding be saved.

But if the insulation is wet it s gotta go wet insulation cannot be saved. The best way to determine if your wet carpet can be salvaged is examining the factors involved. When you leave moisture sitting in a warm dark place these toxins will invade your home and once moisture and mold permeate a carpet pad it s impossible to eradicate. Mold is incredibly toxic to humans and pets.

If your carpet padding has been wet for more than 24 hours there s a really good chance your padding is already infected with mold and it might not be safely salvageable. You can achieve this by use of an air conditioner. You can shampoo your carpet but that won t remove all the mold. Otherwise the water may degrade into category 2.

Typically water damaged carpet padding must be replaced. Ideally the carpet and the padding need to be completely dry within forty eight hours to protect your home from mold growth. Disinfectants can interrupt nascent mold growth before it becomes established. To absorb moisture and odor you can sprinkle some baking soda on the carpet padding.

So the quicker you get started on this the better. Steam clean carpet and flooring steam clean all carpets to properly sanitize and deodorize. Snap a chalk line cut the drywall with a recip saw and toss the wet stuff. It takes time for the carpet to dry.

If you don t have insulation and you dry out the basement quickly you don t have to replace the drywall. While the carpet is drying check the condition of the wall insulation. Drying your carpet padding isn t a complicated procedure but it will take time to adequately accomplish. Today s powerful water extractors can even pull water out of the carpet and the padding below without removal of either.

Unattended wet carpet is prone to mold and mildew. Saving a carpet damaged by category 1 water is possible if the carpet has been wet for less than 24 48 hours. Replacing just the padding is much less expensive than having to re carpet your entire home. Additionally if the carpet has been wet for more than 48 hours the floor and padding beneath the carpet probably have mold as well.

Use a pair of pliers to remove the carpet over the area of the carpet padding. Professionals can restore both padding and carpet through proper sanitation and remediation procedures. The first order of business is get to work fast. The good news is wet carpet can often be saved depending on mitigating factors like the age and quality of the carpet and by following correct procedures during the restoration process.