My Carpet is Wet, Now What?

10/9/2020 (Permalink)

One of the primary building materials found in both residential and commercial buildings is carpet.  Carpet comes in many different styles from traditional cut-pile to Berber and commercial glue down.  In a water damaged environment carpet is one of the most common building materials restoration companies, like SERVPRO of South Durham and Orange County are faced with mitigating and restoring if possible.  Salvaging damaged carpeting is not a one-size fits all application, but varies based on category of water loss and current condition of carpet 

The water loss category as classified in the restoration industry is the determining factor denoting the amount of contamination in the water. 

• Category 1 is clean water that may be found when an ice-maker line ruptures.  If the restoration process begins within hours of occurring the likelihood of salvaging the carpet is extremely high. 
• Category 2 is a reference to gray water which has picked up some forms of contamination, for example water from the dishwashing machine or an overflow of washing machine. The soap, food particles and soil combined with the water make the water a Category 2 water loss.  Salvaging carpets under this condition is also extremely high, but the emergency service of drying must begin quickly to prevent the current category from progressing to a Category 3 and rendering it unsalvageable.
• Category 3 water damage is denotes gross contamination and hazardous. This can be raw sewage or water damage that started as another category due to prolonged interaction with bacteria and other pathogens on the building materials that populate due to the increased moisture content.  Category 3 water damage is not considered salvageable in most cases.

An additional matter of consideration as to whether carpet is salvageable is its current condition.  Pre-existing conditions such as delamination, separating seams, fiber loss and frayed fibers are determining factors as to whether a carpet can be salvaged and restored. 

If you have experienced any type of water loss, mitigating the damage quickly is essential to prevent a bad situation from becoming worse.  Call SERVPRO of South Durham and orange County at (919)596-1242 and we will make it “Like it never even happened.”