How to Save the Carpet in Case of a Flood?

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There are situations in life, which we cannot control but have direct effect on our lives. Consider a case of flood with tap water. This happens at least once to everyone with a heating breakthrough, plumbing problems, or if the neighbours simply forgot to turn off the tap. So what to do if your expensive carpet is completely or partially wet, how to get by with small sacrifices? Of course, the fastest and most reliable option is to call a professional carpet cleaning London based company. However, it is not always possible to use the services of a deep carpet cleaning company. What can you do yourself at home? Below you will find some instructions for resuscitating your carpet.

First, you need to asses the scale of the problem. If the carpet is synthetic or woollen, with low pile, the base does not contain glue and plant fibres, the size is no more than 6 square meters, then the prognosis is good and you may be able to cope with carpet cleaning on your own. In all other cases, the situation is much more serious and here are the dangers that may arise:

• prolonged exposure to water on the carpet can cause partial dissolution of dyes and their influx into adjacent areas;
• on a light pile, a violation of the structure of optical brighteners is possible, as a result, light areas become grey, and bright colours fade;
• any carpet made using adhesives loses its strength significantly under the action of water, which means it can deform or collapse;
• a humid environment is an excellent place for the growth of bacteria and fungi, therefore, after a few days in a warm room, the carpet begins to smell unpleasant – irreversible decomposition processes are taking place;
• part of the dry dirt present on the carpet can dissolve and be absorbed into the fibres, which will require subsequent additional dry cleaning of the carpet;

A damp carpet, if in contact with wood or metal surfaces, can stain from them.

If your carpet is made of silk, woollen with a high pile or handmade, then most likely you will not be able to cope with the consequences of flooding on your own. Therefore, the sooner you can use steam carpet cleaning services, the higher chances you have to save your item.

One more note. Carpets, especially woollen carpets, are capable of retaining moisture several times their own weight. So, for example, a carpet 4×5 m with a pile height of 2 cm can weigh about 200 kilograms when wet.

Before proceeding with the removal of moisture from the carpet, we will outline a few rules that must not be forgotten:

A wet carpet cannot be carried in a flattened form, since it can be several times heavier than a dry one, which means it easily deforms under its own weight. In the place where you take it, wet threads will stretch, it will be almost impossible to return the carpet to its previous shape.

It is not recommended to leave the carpet in a curled state for more than one or two hours, this impedes its ventilation and drying, which, as a result, can accelerate the destruction processes.

Each time you roll the carpet, try to use a dry, white, cotton cloth (sheet, towel), lay the cloth over the pile and then roll the carpet. The fabric will help remove excess moisture from the carpet.

You cannot walk on a wet carpet, most natural fibres, when wet, have very little resistance to deformation, and the pile can be damaged. In addition, dry dirt from the sole can transfer to the surface, which will require special dry cleaning of the carpet in the future.

Do not dry the carpet in direct sunlight. Avoid placing the item on an unpainted wood or metal surface.

Hanging a wet carpet on ropes or pipes to drain water is not recommended. The product can be hung up only if the remaining water in the carpet does not exceed 20%. Since, with a higher moisture content, the weight of the carpet increases, which can lead to uneven stretching of the warp threads. It is almost impossible to eliminate such deformations.

If your carpet is affected from flooding, then domestic carpet cleaning is not recommended. When you handle such problem, the most important part is not only to bring the carpet back to its previous condition, but also to disinfect it. The most effective method for disinfecting the carpet is carpet steam cleaning. The power of steam eliminates all the microbes, bacteria and germs that possess possible danger to your health. Professional steam carpet cleaning services give you the best option to save your valuable piece!