I was forced to learn how to dry a carpet after cleaning due to past experiences. If you’ve experienced mold growth in your carpet then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Did you recently steam clean your carpet or shampooed your carpet? Doing these will get your carpet clean successfully but it’s quite obvious that moistures and carpets aren’t best buddies.
It’s quite unfortunate, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution on how to dry a carpet after cleaning. This could be due to different factors such as the size of the carpet, fabric type of the carpet or the humidity.
To dry a carpet, you can use a fan or air conditioning, create airflow by opening the windows, vacuuming the carpet also does a great job.
That said, if a wet, damp or moist carpet isn’t treated in a long, it could get worst. While your carpet requires regular cleaning, don’t forget that drying is a necessity.
How do you Know if your Carpet is Wet?
Table of Contents
- 1 How do you Know if your Carpet is Wet?
- 2 How long does it take to dry carpet?
- 3 How long does it take for mold growth on wet carpet?
- 4 Why You Should Dry Your Carpet Out
- 5 How to dry a carpet after cleaning
- 6 How To Dry Carpet In Winter
- 7 Does Vacuuming Dry Carpet?
- 8 When to seek a professional
- 9 Conclusion
While this might sound like a silly question but here’s the thing, most times carpets don’t appear moist. This is moist is trapped beneath the surface of the carpet and not on the surface itself, thereby making it unnoticeable. This can be as a result of a leak in your house which isn’t checked frequently.
One of the best ways to spot this is by the odor emanating from the affected area. If this odor is left ignored, this can stink up your home after it permeates with your indoor air. Keep in mind, if you’ve vacuumed your home and still notice this musty odor, then you possibly have a wet carpet.
How long does it take to dry carpet?
The time your carpet takes to dry depends on a few factors, the size of the carpet as well as humidity. This can range between 6 hours to 24 hours and even up to 3 days.
Regardless if you are hiring a professional or cleaning the carpet yourself, it will be damp afterward and this can take up to 6 hours before drying up. Depending on humidity, some carpets can take be moist for up to 24 hours.
If your carpet got wet as a result of flood or leak in your home, then trying will take a lot longer. Your carpet will possibly be wet for up to 3 days. If it’s still wet after 3 days then you should call a professional for help.
How long does it take for mold growth on wet carpet?
It takes 24 to 48 hours of water exposure for mold growth to begin development in your carpet. If they aren’t tackled on time, they continue to grow rapidly.
There are a few ways of knowing if your carpet has been infested with mold. First on the list is the smell of the carpet, you’re going to have a musty smell coming from your carpet, sometimes it smells like urine.
Another is the discoloration of the carpet and its padding, mold growth is also not good for the health, you might notice allergic symptoms whenever you’re at home. If you notice any of these, your carpet has been infested and you mustn’t hesitate to get mold out of carpet.
Why You Should Dry Your Carpet Out
Drying a carpet is necessary after a flood or leak, well we all know that. But most people fail to dry their carpet after cleaning. If these are overlooked, molds will form from any open space between the carpet padding and the floor. With time, it ruins the surface on which it grows.
Getting rid of mold doesn’t end at cleaning or scooping off the growth. The source has to be killed to avoid new growth which will likely spread again. With the right equipment used, you can get rid of these mold from your carpet, if the mold is in excess then you will need the aid of a professional.
How to dry a carpet after cleaning
Methods used in drying your carpet depends on how you cleaned the carpet, you can steam clean carpets or use some special carpet cleaners. Below are a few methods to dry a carpet after cleaning.
Creating Air Flow
The best and most natural carpet drying method is creating airflow in the room. If you have windows in your room where the carpet is located, open the windows while fresh air does all the work for you. A well-ventilated room is also the best way to red rid of those musty smells from your home.
That said, the weather also plays a great role when it comes to carpet drying. Rainy and cloudy days won’t help, instead, it creates a more humid environment. Close up your windows when you have such kind of weather and try other methods below.
Using A Fan
If you have a ceiling fan and your carpet isn’t located directly underneath your ceiling fan then you’re at an advantage. Your ceiling comes in handy especially when the weather isn’t appropriate for drying your carpet.
This can be a great advantage because the fan circulates the air well in a constant manner, this medium will definitely hasten carpet drying and as well get rid of the musty smell.
If you don’t have a ceiling fan in your home, then a standing or desk fan can come in handy too. Although this might not circulate as much air as the ceiling fan yet, it’s a good alternative.
Air-Conditioning
If you don’t have a fan and the weather isn’t friendly either, then this is a go-to alternative. The air from air conditioning doesn’t circulate as much as a ceiling or standing fan but this drying method is the best alternative especially during the rainy days.
The cold from the air conditioning can make it quite difficult to tell if your carpet is still wet or just cold. To know how long to keep the air condition on, it’s best to seek advice from a professional.
Blowing The Carpet Dry
This involves using a blower or fan to dry some area of the carpet. While this method might be the quickest of all, it isn’t as thorough as others mentioned above. That said, this can be applied in addition to other methods mentioned.
If you don’t have a blower and your carpet was cleaned by professional, you can request them to help with blow-drying your carpet, this is help quickly dry out some areas.
How To Dry Carpet In Winter
Drying carpet in winter is impossible using natural air but other methods can come into place. This involves using a dehumidifier, setting up a fan and also a heater. Any of these should work effectively in drying your carpet during the winter.
Does Vacuuming Dry Carpet?
Yes, vacuuming does dry carpets, this is where the wet/dry vacuum comes in hand. It’s not limited to cleaning a dry surface but also a wet surface. When using it, make sure its filter is water safe or made from sponge. A paper filter will be disintegrated upon exposure to water.
While this won’t work for a moist carpet, the wet/dry vacuum works for carpets that are extremely wet.
When to seek a professional
Drying your carpet after cleaning doesn’t really require a professional service because the methods mentioned above are very easy to implement and are efficient. If the entire carpet is soaked then this can be out of hand, it’s best to call a professional at this stage. Wet carpets when not quickly looked into, can spread through the floor and even the walls of your home resulting in mold infection.
Conclusion
We’ve covered 4 quick methods on how to dry a carpet after cleaning. Implement any of these methods and you’ll have a dry carpet in no time. One thing to note, avoid walking on a damp carpet as it can result to re-soiling even after cleaning.
Over to you, what method do you usually use to dry your carpet after cleaning, please do share it with us in the comments. There are a lot out there looking for methods on how to dry a carpet after cleaning, please share the post, save them the stress and let them get informed.
