In the aftermath of a flood, dealing with soaked carpets is one of the most difficult aspects of the clean up. No two floods are alike, every flood poses its own unique challenges to water restoration when it comes to saving let alone cleaning your carpets. Factors that come into play include the type of flood water, sanitary, unsanitary, or black water.
If the water that floods your home is sanitary water, such as rainwater that has no contamination, here is where you have the most options and the best chance to save your carpet. Water Damage Cleanup is much easier when the flood waters are sanitary (though you shouldn't drink "sanitary flood water").
To clean the carpets following a flood with sanitary water, you must make use of a Flooding Services company that provides water damage clean up. After the source of the water is controlled your wet carpets can be attended to. During this time it is vital to keep traffic off of the carpet, or if that is not possible to keep it to a minimum. The reason is that the latex which holds the backing together on your carpet is very vulnerable at this time, but it will strengthen again once it is dry. You should remove any furniture that is present on the carpet as this can stain your carpets. Once this is done, water can be extracted from your carpet, using specialized equipment. You will need to throw away the carpet padding, however.Once the water has been extracted, your carpet should be treated with a disinfectant.
If your carpets have suffered water damage from unsanitary water, there are few safe options for you. Unsanitary water includes toilet water with urine present, or any water with a moderate degree of biological contaminants. The carpet should be discarded due to bacterial and other biological hazards, but the choice ultimately resides with you. if you do opt to try and salvage the carpet, strong disinfectants must be used to kill off the bacteria and contamination.
If your carpets have suffered water damage from black water, they should be thrown away. Black water is water that is mixed with raw sewage. Raw sewage contains some of the most dangerous and unsanitary biological contaminants. Flooding that has black water present presents rather serious health concerns and should not be taken lightly.
If your carpets have sustained water or flood damage, call in the carpet water restoration professionals at Affordable Joe's Carpet Cleaning today! We have the experience, equipment, and skills needed to restore your carpet back to pre-flood condition. We also provide emergency water extractions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Simply call (206) 384-3815 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.
