Carpets and rugs generally absorb large amounts of water, and because of their placement, frequently end up absorbing lots amounts of water as water generally travels to the ground. Water soaked carpets and rugs are ideal breeding ground for bacteria, making them health hazards. If and when your carpet gets wet, it is necessary that you take immediate measures for water removal to avoid the growth of molds and bacteria.



If one must restore a valuable carpet or rug, it would be best to hire a cleaning professional. Hiring one would increase the chances of salvaging the carpets/rugs by providing optimal water removal and dry out conditions, in addition to the cleaning professional's training and experience in dealing with such matters. Keep in mind that a carpet or rug soaked in water for more than 24 hours will develop molds, and would not be worth the restoration. The padding of a water-soaked carpet or rug should be replaced, as the effort to clean and salvage them would not be cost-effective.

If hiring a cleaning professional to clean the carpets or rugs is not possible, keep in mind that you would still need to dry out the material first, ideally outdoors in sunlight. Water removal will help to lengthen the life of your carpet or rug. If sun drying is not possible, indoor fan drying would do, and dehumidifiers would help in faster drying. Make sure that that the material is thoroughly dry before cleaning it with a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt and debris. Slow, thorough, and deliberate vacuum cleaning of small sections works best to remove the most amount of dirt. Alternatively, a high-pressure hose can be used to wash away dirt and debris from the already water soaked carpet or rug, and then dry out the carpet in sunlight.

The next step after removal of the soaked-up water, dirt, and debris from the carpet or rug is to use a carpet shampoo. There is a risk of carpet shrinkage when shampoo is applied to it, so remember to read the manufacturer's instructions before you start. Although water removal is necessary, you want to save the carpet from further damage - such as shrinkage - that may be caused by the cleaning agent.

A sponge may be used to apply commercial-grade carpet shampoo to relatively small sections of the carpet or rug (1 to 2 square feet at time) if the material is not very soiled to be begin with. If the area is deeply soiled, a stiff-bristled brush is highly recommended. After applying the carpet shampoo, rinse off each section with the sponge and water several times as needed, but use as little water as possible with each rinsing. Getting the carpet soaked in water would damage it again and render your initial water removal and salvage measures useless. Change the water when it becomes too dirty.

A good technique in carpet shampooing is to clean small sections at a time, and each section would overlap half of its adjacent area - this will help minimize carpet streaking.

When the carpet clean up and shampooing is done, the carpet should be dried out as quickly as possible. The best way to do so is to lay out the carpet in a dry warm place and have a fan pointed at it. For the carpet or rug to be considered thoroughly dried, the base of the fiber should be dry.