Carpet drying and pad replacement is where our company's roots show. Before we were a restoration crew, we were a carpet cleaning company in Spanish Fork, and we still understand carpet better than most water damage outfits. That matters because a lot of wet carpet gets thrown out when it could have been saved.
Here's how it works. If the water was clean (Category 1) or early Category 2, and we get there within a day or two, the carpet itself is usually salvageable. The pad is not. Pad acts like a sponge and costs little to replace, so we pull it. We detach the carpet from the tack strip, lift it, and float it with air movers blowing underneath. That dries the carpet backing and the subfloor at the same time.
Once everything reads dry, we lay new pad, re-stretch the carpet with a power stretcher and reattach it to the tack strip. Then we clean it. Wet carpet that dries without cleaning often shows brown staining from the backing wicking up, and a proper hot water extraction removes it.
Carpet that sat in Category 3 water, from sewage or outside flooding, can't be saved. Carpet that has delaminated, where the backing separates from the face, usually can't either. We'll tell you which it is.
After a water loss, carpet can also ripple if it wasn't re-stretched. That's a sign the job was rushed. For regular cleaning once the job is done, see carpet cleaning.
