My Own Restoration - Reasons why carpet and carpet padding needs to be replaced after water removal

My Own Restoration: What are the reasons to consider replacing carpet and carpet padding after water removal?

What is carpet padding?

Carpet padding is usually a thin layer of foam, fiber, and nylon, among other materials, and is placed under the carpet.

The padding acts like a comfortable cushion under the carpet and provides thermal insulation, making the homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Additionally, it appends a level of soundproofing to the house.

Carpet Padding and Flood Damage

Entering a home after it has been affected by flooding can be devastating for a homeowner. However, once the emotional upheaval calms down, the property owner must carefully evaluate what items can be salvaged and which must be discarded after water removal is done.

One item that needs prudent consideration is the carpet and its padding. The carpet and the padding are highly porous materials, meaning they absorb water quickly and in large proportions. Dampness leads to mold buildup, which can be hazardous to human health. Additionally, drying out and cleaning may make the padding brittle for further use.

Therefore, the house owner would need to carefully examine the carpet and carpet padding condition to determine if it needs to be cleaned, reused, or replaced. Again, the type of flood water would help in deciding if the carpet and padding can be saved after water removal.

Flood water type

As specified by the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification), there are three types of water damage based on the measure of contaminants in the water that causes the destruction. These are:

Clean Water Damage

Water pumped through the plumbing lines of the house is fit for human consumption for bathing, cleaning, and other things and, as such, does not pose any threat to human health. Therefore, this is decreed to be clean water.

So, when water damage occurs through plumbing leakages and broken pipelines, it is called clean water damage. This water is devoid of any sewage or chemical toxins and considered safe. In this case, thorough cleaning, drying, and sanitizing are done of every water-damaged item and surface, and then they can be put back into the house.

Grey Water Damage

Water flowing from the house drains (sink, bath, toilet) is considered grey water. This is because this water contains chemical affluents (detergents, soaps, and potent cleaning agents), waste food, and some biological contaminants. So, water from dishwashers, washing machines, sumps, toilet bowls with urine in the water, and bath drains falls under this category.

When greywater causes damage in the house, though it may not harm human health adversely, it is highly advised to disinfect and sanitize everything before being used again. For example, soft furnishings like carpet and carpet padding might be discarded depending on the grey water's quality. But, this call must be made with careful consideration of the condition of the carpet and padding.

Black Water Damage

Black water damage is the most extreme as this kind of water primarily contains sewage which is seriously hazardous to human health. So, back up from toilets, sewage pit overflow, rising floodwaters, seawater, standing water, and others constitute a bulk of black water. Therefore, throwing away soft furnishing items like rugs, carpets, and carpet padding is highly advisable, as even washing them out will not remove all the contaminants with certainty.

Why My Own Restoration?

My Own Restoration is a professional water damage restoration team of highly skilled and trained water damage restoration contractors based out of Tucson, Arizona, 85705.

Their team has very specialized tools and modern technology at its disposal to provide the perfect solution to its clients and also mitigate the chance of any further disaster by cross-checking everything minutely.

Their USP is: