Can these waterlogged carpets be saved?

If your building experienced flooding during Kansas City’s recent spate of thunderstorms, you’re not alone. High water has caused damage – especially wet carpeting — to many businesses lately. Burst pipes and leaks can flood or drip on your carpeting, too.

Fortunately, wet carpeting can often be saved, depending on the age and quality of the carpet, by using the right processes during the restoration process.

Here’s your best plan:

• Act quickly! Mold and mildew can start to grow within 24 to 48 hours.
• Determine where the flooding or leak came from.
• Category 1: Clean water from rain or a broken pipe is not a health hazard.
• Category 2: Gray water from pump failures or backflow from washing machines or dishwashers contains contaminants that may cause illness.
• Category 3: Black water from raw sewage poses a serious health threat, since it contains bacteria and viruses. Carpeting and cushions that have been submerged in black water should be removed and safely disposed of.
• Inspect the damage. Determine how serious the situation is. If the water affected only a small area of the carpeting, your janitorial crew may be able to extract standing water. But if the issue is more serious, you’ll need outside help.
• Call an emergency services company. Their crew will remove standing water from carpeting and moisture from structures, using industrial water extraction equipment, dehumidifiers and air movers.
• They’ll give the carpet a standard cleaning. They’ll also apply an antimicrobial solution to keep mold and mildew at bay.
• Turn on the air conditioning to help the drying process, particularly during summer, when the air is damp.
• If the ceiling is wet, don’t turn on ceiling fixtures. And of course, don’t venture into areas where you see the ceilings sagging.

After water extraction…

 

The water is gone, but dirt and contaminants that were already in the carpeting before the soaking still remain.

The quick cleaning the emergency services company does won’t remove all the residual dirt and contaminants.

You need a company that specializes in performing a professional deep-cleaning process that removes deeply embedded dirt and contaminants. That will ensure that the carpeting is thoroughly cleaned and hygienic.

 

Who you gonna call?

Advanced 360 Floor Care, with 22 years of experience caring for commercial carpeting and floors, can thoroughly clean, restore and maintain the value of your carpets over time.

Call 913-322-6200 today and ask about the Advanced 360 Total Floor Care System!