Quick action is critical to reduce damage from water intrusion into a building, such as from broken water pipes, overflowing toilets, sewer back-ups, broken water sprinklers, roof damage, etc.
Take care when removing water from carpets because they can lose up to 50% of their structural strength when they get wet and can be permanently damaged by excessive bending or folding or by foot traffic.
Step 1 in any pump-out situation is to inspect thoroughly for damage, being especially alert for microbial growth.
Determine extent of damage to the carpet by disengaging it in the corners and inspecting. Inspect for delamination.
Carpet padding cannot be cleaned - only dried. Padding tends to hold odors. Any natural fiber padding, such as jute or horsehair must be replaced.
Check for damage to the sub-floor - especially plywood and parquet. Is the tack strip secure to the floor?
Move furniture to a dry area and tab or block it if it is wet.
Hang drapery with a coat hanger to avoid contact with the wet floor.
Extract - clear the vacuum hose at the end of each dry stroke by lifting up the cleaning tool.
Using the Water Claw® Sub-Surface Flood Extractor will speed the operation.
Use the 100 pound roller to compress the carpet and padding and force the excess water to the corners for extraction.
Fold back all four corners of the room.
Cut and remove the exposed padding.
Release the carpet at door metals.
Work the roller from the center of the room to the corner where the water can be extracted out.
Do a final extraction of the entire area.
Place air movers / carpet dryers in a corner with the snout on top of the pad and under the carpet and secure the carpet to the air mover.
Float the carpet 4-6 inches off the floor.
Usually, one air mover is required for every 200 square feet of carpet.
Avoid walking on the carpet when the air movers are lifting the carpet.
DO NOT use air movers where there is active mold!
In some cases, a dehumidifier is required to remove excess moisture from the room.
SATURATE the contaminated carpet with an anti-microbial such as MediClean® or Sporicidin®. Anti-microbials must contact all affected materials and be allowed at least 10 to 15 minutes dwell time. Pets, plants and animals must not be present during application of anti-microbials.
Once carpet has completely dried out, replace any padding that has been discarded, reinstall the carpet, move the furniture back in and make a final application of anti-microbial.
Removing EXTREME LEVELS of Cat and Dog Urine in Rugs Using the Submersion Method:
Note: Before performing treatment, verify that the rug to be treated is water cleanable and test a small area to verify suitability of treatment and color fastness of rug dyes.
Vacuum or blow compressed air through the rug to remove as much dry particulate matter as possible.
Sometimes the rug is so saturated with pet urine, it’s best to soak it down with water and use a 100 pound roller to squeeze all the urine out.
Do this until the yellow river stops running, as shown below on a Sisal Rug in the image above.
Then proceed with your next steps.
Prepare a shallow trough large enough to contain the rug. 6-mil plastic sheeting is laid over the PVC frame. The sheeting is tucked under the PVC, completing the trough into which the rug to be treated can be laid.
With the rug in the trough, submerge it in a solution of Rug Restorer.
Prepare just enough solution to completely submerge your rug. Be sure to add the water before adding the Rug Restorer.
Severe Odor: 1 gallon Rug Restorer per 15 gallons of COLD water.
Light to Moderate Odor: 1 gallon Rug Restorer per 25 gallons of COLD water.
Agitate submerged rug gently with groomer to assist in working urine out of carpet.
Allow the rug to remain in the solution for 8 - 12 hours.
After the Rug Restorer has broken down and suspended the urine contamination, FLUSH THE RUG VERY THOROUGHLY with COLD WATER to remove the emulsified contaminants.
With your extractor, remove the solution from the trough.
Clean the rug by prespraying with Preface® and extraction clean the rug with Natural Fiber Cleaner to brighten the natural fibers.
Treat any visible stains remaining with Stain Magic® for Wool.
Treat the fringes with 40 volume peroxide if they are still yellowed - if they are supposed to be white.
Then, spray Sta-Clene® Protector to the face of the rug according to label directions.
Dry the rug as quickly as possible using air movers and dehumidifiers if necessary.
Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail.