There is no single procedure for dealing with all flood damage situations. Each situation is different and must be evaluated individually by an expert.

Restoring Water Damaged Carpet

Before restoration can begin, you must identify the source - determine whether the flood water is sanitary, unsanitary or black water - and stop the incoming flow of water from its source.

Sanitary - may include uncontaminated sink or toilet overflows and ruptured pipes.
 
Unsanitary - any water with some degree of biopollutant contamination, including punctured waterbeds and contaminated toilet and dishwater overflows.
 
Black Water - water that has come into contact with the ground or that contains raw sewage; this includes, but is not limited to, natural flooding. Unfortunately, carpet flooded by black water must be discarded because of the high-level intrusion of bacteria and other pollutants.

Only in sanitary conditions should you attempt to clean and restore the carpet yourself. Cleaning professionals should be called in to handle the adverse affects of disease-carrying bacteria contained in unsanitary and black water conditions. If you cannot reasonably determine the water quality, call the CRI information line for assistance.

In sanitary water situations, once the water has been stopped, extraction of excess water from the carpet must begin immediately. To reduce the possibility of fungal growth, the carpet cushion should be discarded. In natural flooding or rising water situations, the carpet and carpet cushion should be replaced immediately to minimize possible health concerns.

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1. Quickly remove any furnishings that may be damaged by the intrusion and may stain or damage the carpet.
2. Keep traffic over the wet carpet to a minimum. Moisture can weaken the latex backing in carpet, and excess traffic may cause the backing to separate. Once dry, the backing should regain much of its original strength.
3. Use fans to increase ventilation, a vacuum designed to extract water (if available), and dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process (only in sanitary conditions). The carpet should be completely dry within 24 hours after the elimination of the water source, to minimize the growth of bacteria and fungi.

For further advice consult your warranty and/or phone CRI for assistance.

Immediate Steps

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• Difficult Stains >>

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