Should Water Damaged Carpets Always Be Replaced?

Feet in blue slippers standing on beige shag carpeting

Whether you need to replace water damaged carpets depends on a number of factors, including the extent of the water damage, the type of carpeting and how fast you acted after the damage occurred. All of these factors will play a major part in deciding whether carpet repair or replacement is the best option.

Before we take an in-depth look at the topic, let’s start with the good news: as highly experienced carpet repair and flood restoration experts, we can tell you that it is often possible to restore water damaged carpeting, and normally for considerably less than it would cost to replace. However, whether this is the case in your home will, as we mentioned, depend on the action you took immediately after the flood and the type of carpeting you have in each room.

Carpet Repair or Replacement: It’s Your Decision

Ultimately, of course, it will always be your decision when faced with the option of repairing or replacing water damaged carpeting in your home. But what we really mean when we say it is your decision is that the actions you take after the flooding will dictate what is possible once the water itself has been removed from your property. If your home is flooded and you want to maximize the chances of being able to restore your carpeting, we recommend following these suggestions:

  • Shut off the Electricity – This step is to protect you rather than your carpets but it is an essential step nonetheless. Before you enter a flooded property, whether it is your own home or somebody else’s, you must turn off the electricity supply. Water and electricity are a very bad combination and you could suffer a fatal shock if you skip over this step. If you are not sure where the main distribution board is, it is better to wait for the emergency services or a local qualified electrician. Whatever you do, don’t enter the property until you are completely sure the electricity has been switched off.
  • Identify the Cause of Flooding – If it is obvious, such as a burst main water pipe in the area or a river that has overflowed its banks, you can ignore this step. On the other hand, if you are not sure what happened, your first task will be to identify the source of the water so you can take immediate preventative action if necessary. You can’t prevent the flood as it has already happened but you may be able to stop any more water from entering the property.

  • The reason you need to identify the cause of the flooding is so you can determine what to do next. If it is due to something over which you have no control, such as a local river overflowing its banks, you may have to wait until you can start clearing up the mess. On the other hand, if it is due to something like a burst pipe, you can have the pipe fixed and start removing the water in your home as soon as the repairs have been completed.
  • Remove Excess Water – Before you can assess the extent of the damage and think about calling your local flood restoration experts, you will need to remove all of the excess water from your property. By excess water, we mean any water that has not already been soaked up by your carpeting or furnishings. For localized flooding, it may be possible to complete this task with a mop and bucket, along with towels, blankets and any other absorbent objects that you have to hand. For more severe flooding, it may be necessary to call in a team of professionals. In either case, your primary goal should be to remove all of the standing water as quickly and efficiently as possible, in order to prevent any further damage from occurring.
  • Ventilate the Building – To accelerate the drying process, we recommend that you open all doors and windows in your property, assuming that it is safe to do so. If this may cause you security concerns, just open the upper floor windows and any other windows that you feel it is safe to open. The goal is to increase the flow of air around your property, thereby allowing everything in it to start drying naturally.
  • Contact Your Local Flood Restoration Specialists – Broomfield residents are, of course, welcome to call and speak to us should they ever need any help with water damaged carpets and upholstery, as are residents in the surrounding area. If you live too far from us for this to be practical, we recommend asking friends, family and colleagues for recommendations. The sooner you find a suitably qualified and experienced team of specialists, the sooner you can plan what to do about your carpets and any upholstered furniture that may have been damaged by the flooding.

After you have followed all of the above suggestions, there is one more thing you need to do: wait. You must wait until everything is completely dry before you move back in, especially your carpeting. If you move back in while the flooring is still damp, you could cause more damage and find yourself dealing with mold and other unpleasant issues. Once everything is nice and dry, arrange for your local carpet repair team to visit: they will be able to tell you whether your carpets should be restored or replaced.

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