Wet Carpet Pad

Use a wet dry vacuum to clean up as much water as soon as possible.

Wet carpet pad.

Cut the pad into strips roll it up and haul it outside. Once carpet water damage mold has taken hold there s often no cleaning it up. If the subfloor seems dry continue to dry out the carpet and pad using and fan you have at your disposal. Unattended wet carpet is prone to mold and mildew.

How to keep wet carpet from molding. 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. If the carpeting was professionally installed wear leather gloves and pull up the carpeting and padding from the tack strip along the edge. Additionally if the carpet has been wet for more than 48 hours the floor and padding beneath the carpet probably have mold as well.

Once you have the pad pulled up dispose of it immediately. The first step to drying out carpet padding and carpeting post flood is actually removing the water. Stomp on the padding with a clean shoe to force water to the top and vacuum it away with the wet dry hose. The sooner you start cleaning up after water damage the sooner you can stop mold from growing under your carpet.

Don t rush this step. 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. You ll want to move the extractor slowly across the carpet to suck up as much water as possible. 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.

You can shampoo your carpet but that won t remove all the mold. Keep all electrical cords away from the water or wet padding. Use the wet dry vacuum to suck as much water from the padding as you can. Keep an eye on the fill tank and make sure you dump it before hitting overflow.

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. Use a fan to dry out carpet and pad. It s important to act. Carpet padding is like a sponge and will absorb a lot of water but it will not dry out.

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. Fold each corner of the carpet so you can see the pad. Leaving wet carpet sitting risks not only damaging the carpet and the padding beneath but risks damaging your subfloor as well. Carpet with a pad.