Fixing Storm Damage

Posted on: 6 May 2016

If you've ever experienced a flood at your home, you probably already know that mold and mildew is a big issue. Everything that was water damaged needs to be inspected, then cleaned or thrown away, and carpeting is no exception. The padding below your carpet can hold onto water causing mold and mildew to grow, possibly into the wooden subfloor below. See below for tips on what to do with water damaged carpeting.

Remove The Padding

You'll need to pull up the carpeting and remove the padding below. To do this, carefully pull the carpeting from the tack strips in the floor and roll it halfway across the room. Then using a utility knife, cut away at the padding. If it's still wet, it's going to be very heavy so try to roll it up in sections and take it outside to the trash. Do the same to the other half of the room, then unroll the carpeting so it's flat on the floor.

Dry The Carpeting

You need to dry the carpeting to help prevent the growth of mold and mildew in the carpet fibers and to prevent mold/mildew from growing into the subfloor. You can rent large blowers to help dry your carpet and use fans to dry it as quickly as possible.

Paint Subfloor With Mold Preventative

To help prevent mold/mildew growth, you can paint your concrete or wooden subfloor using a mold preventative paint. This type of paint can be found at your local hardware store. Apply a first coat, then a second coating after the first coat has dried.

Clean The Carpeting

You can clean the carpeting yourself using a rented industrial sized carpet cleaner that will steam clean and sanitize your carpeting. You can rent one of these machines at your local hardware store or possibly at your local grocery store. If you are unable to rent one of these machines, you can contact a carpet cleaning company that specializes in water damaged carpeting.

Replace The Carpet Padding

Once your carpeting is cleaned properly and is completely dry you can have new padding laid and your carpeting can be tacked back down to the floor. Contact a carpet company, like Magic Wand Cleaning and Restoration Services, to have your carpeting stretched and tacked down by a professional.

Carpeting that has been water damaged can be cleaned and kept, but it needs to be done properly to in order to prevent mold or mildew from growing.