Wet Carpet Pad

Fold each corner of the carpet so you can see the pad.

Wet carpet pad.

Carpet padding is like a sponge and will absorb a lot of water but it will not dry out. Don t rush this step. You can also attach a hose from a wet dry vac to the exhaust placing the hose under the carpet as far into it as you can. Cut the pad into strips roll it up and haul it outside.

Leaving wet carpet sitting risks not only damaging the carpet and the padding beneath but risks damaging your subfloor as well. The wet vacuum cleaner removes water from the carpet itself but it may not be able to remove it from the padding if the water has wicked through the carpet backing or soaked in under the edges. Unattended wet carpet is prone to mold and mildew. You ll want to move the extractor slowly across the carpet to suck up as much water as possible.

If the carpeting was professionally installed wear leather gloves and pull up the carpeting and padding from the tack strip along the edge. The sooner you start cleaning up after water damage the sooner you can stop mold from growing under your carpet. Especially very porous materials carpet carpet pad and insulation that s in walls prevent mold growth by drying water damage quickly. The best way to dry wet carpet is by using a wet dry vacuum if you don t have one you can rent one from a local hardware store.

Use a fan to dry out carpet and pad. Wet carpet can be a perfect breeding ground for mold especially if the air is humid and the water remains in place longer than 48 hours. Once the water is out peel back the carpeting watch out for those rusted sharp nails on the tackless stripping and remove the wet pad. How to keep wet carpet from molding.

Once you have the pad pulled up dispose of it immediately. You can shampoo your carpet but that won t remove all the mold. It s important to act. Fold the carpet away from the wet carpet padding.

Carpet with a pad. Additionally if the carpet has been wet for more than 48 hours the floor and padding beneath the carpet probably have mold as well. If the subfloor seems dry continue to dry out the carpet and pad using and fan you have at your disposal. 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.

The first step to drying out carpet padding and carpeting post flood is actually removing the water. Use the wet dry vacuum to suck as much water from the padding as you can. Once carpet water damage mold has taken hold there s often no cleaning it up. Stomp on the padding with a clean shoe to force water to the top and vacuum it away with the wet dry hose.