Richardson Carpet Cleaning After Flood

8/21/2020 (Permalink)

Has flooding damaged your carpet? SERVPRO of Richardson provides storm damage cleanup to help prevent mold growth and get you back to normal.

Texas storms can be intense and the Richardson area is no exception. As property owners, we don’t get much time to prepare as thunderstorms with flash flood warnings can come on suddenly. 

When Mother Nature gives us more water than we can handle, it ends up inside our homes and buildings causing damage to things like walls, electronics, papers, photos, and furniture. 

Flooded carpets are another casualty of torrential rains. In such cases, the carpet needs to be treated to prevent mold growth. Dive into this guide to learn the steps to take with water damaged carpet.

Category Types of Floodwater

When it comes to floodwater, there’s more than one type. Some kinds are more harmful than others, so we give each type a different floodwater category.

Water category identification lets our technicians know if the water is likely to be toxic or not. That way we can treat the water with chemicals to prevent further microbial growth. 

Knowing the contamination level of the water of a flood scene also helps our team determine whether or not soaked items can be salvaged. When things a property owner wants to save ends up contaminated, we can treat those items in our Esporta Wash System - one of the most advanced cleaning systems in the industry that uses powerful detergents.

Category 1: Clean Water

The water quality scale starts with relatively clean water. Category 1 water is considered low-risk as it doesn’t pose a health hazard.

“Clean water” doesn’t necessarily remain uncontaminated. Carpet water removal must happen as soon as possible. The longer floodwater is left unextracted, the greater the chances are of it becoming contaminated and progressing into the next category. 

Category 2: Gray Water

“Gray water” is assumed to harbor unsafe levels of microorganisms and so it is significantly contaminated. Persons coming into contact with this water are at risk of becoming ill or nauseated.

Can wet carpet be saved after Category 2 water damaged? Maybe. It depends on the carpet type and how long it’s been soaked with gray water. Our team will dispose of the contaminated carpet padding and evaluate if the carpet layer can be recovered or not. In the event that it can’t be saved, we’ll replace the carpet with the closest color match.

Category 3: Black Water

Finally, there is the dirtiest of water. “Black water” is considered to be extremely contaminated and highly toxic for humans and pets.

At this stage of contamination, the water has mixed with wastewater that may contain any of the following: sewage, human waste, garbage, motor oil, fertilizer, etc.

Question: should carpet be replaced after water damage? At the black water stage, the carpet is dangerously toxic cannot be salvaged. 

All carpet in the area affected by black water (along with the padding) must be carefully disposed of and replaced with new carpeting. SERVPRO will present evidence of this contamination to the insurance company alongside the replacement cost estimate.

Do I Need Professional Flooded Carpet Cleaning?

When flood damage is minimal and you’re certain that the carpet didn’t come into contact with gray or black water, you can probably handle the recovery on your own (steps on how to clean carpet are given later). 

In the event of severe flooding or contaminated water, it’s best to get help from a cleaning service. SERVPRO is equipped with professional-level extractors and disinfectants. Having the right kind of PPE allows our team to get close to contaminated carpets so you won’t have to get close to any toxic materials.

Other benefits of calling SERVPRO for both minor and major flooding are:

Save time: Carpet cleaning after a flood can be time-consuming (especially when done on your own). Our cleaning team takes it off your hands to get it done faster while you tend to your daily life.

Prevent mold: Our team knows the drill on how to recover a flooded property all too well. We will leave the space completely clean and dry so that mold doesn’t have the chance to grow. Even with a Category 1 situation, not having the carpet dry enough can welcome mold spores to take root and in this case, we’ll see to it that it’s moisture-free.

Trained eye: Our years of experience with water damage allows us to identify other issues that may go unnoticed by property owners. We’ll catch other coincidental water damage issues and get them squared away before it gets worse.

Need a hand cleaning your flooded carpets? Call us 24/7 at (972 )690-1414. SERVPRO is always on standby for Richardson flood damage restoration and we’re faster to any size disaster!

Steps for Carpet Cleaning After Flood Damage

Whether you decide to handle minor flood damage on your own or just want to know what is involved with a proper carpet cleaning, we’ve provided these steps below.

Note: The sooner you get the carpet clean, the better. Mold spores are always in the air and will root into the damp carpet. The longer it sits, the better the chances are that mold and mildew will start to grow in the carpet fibers.

Step 1: Remove the Water

Carpet cleaning after a flood begins with full and complete water extraction. 

Remove all furniture and other objects from the carpet. Once the area is clear, use a shop vac or other extraction equipment to suck out as much water as possible from the flooded area and soaked carpet. 

The more water you remove at this step, the faster the drying process will be.

Step 2: Dry the Whole Room

Important: to prevent mold growth, the entire area must be completely dry. 

Ventilation and airflow is a huge help in the drying process. Open windows and use several fans to promote air circulation.

Step 3: Dry the Carpet

It’s vitally important that the carpet be totally dry to prevent mold growth. It’s best to dispose of and replace soaked carpet padding as it’s difficult to dry it out completely.

Increased air circulation helps, but it may not be sufficient. Here are three other things to help it dry fully and faster:

• Turning on the heater 
• Sprinkling some baking soda
• Placing wet carpet sections in the sunshine for a day

Step 4: Deodorize and Clean the Carpet

Once the carpet is completely dry, treat it with a steam or carpet cleaning machine. Again, make sure the carpet dries completely after cleanings.

Next, apply your carpet deodorizer of choice - baking soda works well for this. Sprinkle the baking soda, let it sit for a while, then vacuum the carpet.

SERVPRO of Richardson Is Ready to Help With Carpet Cleaning After Flood Damage

At SERVPRO of Richardson, we promise to be faster to any size disaster. When the floodwaters get to be too high and create carpet water damage, our Richardson carpet cleaning services team will be there to get to work and make it like it never happened!

For your health and well being, Richardson mold removal and mold mitigation is SERVPRO’s top priority. Our professional staff will ensure that all water and moisture is eliminated from the affected area to prevent further water damage and mold growth.

Let SERVPRO handle the carpet cleaning after a flood. Call us 24/7 at (972)690-1414 or complete our convenient contact form anytime!