What to Do With Carpet After a Rainwater Flood

Cleaning Your Carpet

• Rainwater and mud often contain infectious bacteria. Always wear rubber gloves and a disposable mask to prevent breathing in mold and mildew spores. Remove the carpet from your home as soon as possible following a flood. Roll up the carpet up and take it outside. Unroll it and lay it out on a hard, dry surface, such as a patio or garage floor. Try to place the carpet in an area where it will receive sunlight so it dries faster. If you cannot remove your carpet, use an industrial-strength wet/dry vacuum to suck as much water out of the carpet as you can. Use a dehumidifier and large fans to circulate air and promote faster drying.

  Use a garden hose with a spray nozzle turned to the strongest setting to rinse your carpet. Move in a sweeping motion to push dirt and mud out of the carpet fibers. Turn the carpet over and spray down the back side. Pour liquid ammonia over the front side of the carpet. Let it soak in for about five minutes. Ammonia may cause your carpet to fade, so test a small spot first. Rinse the carpet with the garden hose until no ammonia remains. Mix 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach per gallon of water to saturate the carpet and prevent stains. Bleach, too, may change the color of your carpet. Make sure the ammonia is thoroughly rinsed before adding the bleach solution to prevent toxic fumes. Scrub the bleach solution into the carpet with a plastic brush or hard-bristled broom. Let the carpet sit for about five minutes and rinse it thoroughly again.

  Use a wet/dry vacuum to pull out excess moisture from the carpet. Let it dry in the sun, turning it over every few hours. Consult a professional carpet cleaning service if you are unsure whether your carpet is clean and disinfected enough to salvage it. A professional service can also steam clean your carpet with sanitizing chemicals if you are unable to adequately clean the carpet yourself.

Preventing Mold and Mildew

• Remove the padding from your home and discard it before bringing your carpet back inside. Rainwater usually saturates the padding and ruins it, but padding is much cheaper to replace than carpet. Scrub the floors with a warm water and bleach solution to prevent mold and mildew from forming before adding new padding or returning your carpet to the house. Make sure your carpet is completely dry before placing it back in your home and run a dehumidifier for several days to remove any excess moisture.