What Happens If Your Carpet Pad Gets Wet

Cut the pad into strips roll it up and haul it outside.

What happens if your carpet pad gets wet.

When carpet gets wet and is left wet it can cause problems like delamination that happens when there is excessive moisture which weakens the glue. Be it an overly wet carpet cleaning flood or other water damage the carpet padding must dry thoroughly to eliminate foul odors mold and mildew growth. It s also the padding under the carpet. Fast action is a must.

Wet carpet can be a perfect breeding ground for mold especially if the air is humid and the water remains in place longer than 48 hours. When your house floods it s not only the carpet that gets wet. If the weather is hot dry and sunny you can try drying it yourself by rolling it out on your driveway. Water damage can flood your carpet causing the carpet and pad to get soaked.

Unattended wet carpet is prone to mold and mildew. It s important to act quickly in removing moisture from the. To do that pull up the carpeting wearing gloves to reach the padding. Some carpets will shrink literally tearing themselves up from the floor.

Removing water from the carpet is not that hard but the pad will remain wet and can get mold damaged. The padding under the carpet will need to be replaced if it s been affected in a flood. Use fans to speed up carpet drying process. Drying both can be a trick.

If the carpet gets wet again or the carpet is exposed to elevated levels of moisture humidity then mold growth and related odors will likely recur. If the carpet is an area rug then the carpet can be placed outdoors in the direct sunlight during the warm hot months of the year to dry the carpet. Some backing materials cause the carpet to discolor if they get too wet. When you leave moisture sitting in a warm dark place these toxins will invade your home and once moisture and mold permeate a carpet pad it s impossible to eradicate.

At this point the two things the glue was holding together begin to separate and allows an area for mold to begin growing. If you do not have a professional dry out your wet carpet then you should at least remove the wet pad. Once the water is out peel back the carpeting watch out for those rusted sharp nails on the tackless stripping and remove the wet pad. Use a wet dry vacuum to clean up as much water as soon as possible.

If your carpet padding has been wet for more than 24 hours there s a really good chance your padding is already infected with mold and it might not be safely salvageable. These machines are the most effective tools for removing water and can be rented or provided by water and smoke damage remediation companies that specialize in repairing residential flood damage.