Dangers of Wet and Damaged Carpets to Avoid

Discovering that your carpet is wet is an unsettling experience, but it’s far more than a simple inconvenience. Wet and water damaged carpets can wreak havoc on your health and your property, so it should be avoided at all costs.

If you ever find wet, damaged carpet, don’t delay and contact a professional carpet cleaning expert such as Floodcare. Our friendly and reputable water damage experts can repair and replace water damaged carpet for you safely and efficiently.

Below are some of the dangers associated with wet carpets:

Whether or not you currently suffer from allergies, wet carpets will likely lead to an increase in the symptoms that trigger allergic reactions. Sneezing and watery eyes are a sign that mould and mildew have been growing deep in your wet carpet and are triggering these sorts of reactions.

Mould is a fungal organism that’s often tough to spot, especially if it’s been growing deep in your carpet at the roots. As moisture and wet carpets are allowed to set, mould will accumulate, thereby releasing its spores into the air. These are breathed in by you and your family and obstruct your sinuses, which causes this increase in allergic reactions.

Correlated with the previous point, bacterial organisms that fester in wet carpets can lead to a worsening of your breathing. Although many medical conditions such as tuberculosis are no longer as prevalent as they were decades ago, other conditions such as asthma can be severely affected by prolonged exposure to mould.

The same spores that are so dangerous to your lungs and sinuses can affect you topically as well. Short-term exposure may lead to some itchiness and perhaps a little redness on your skin, but long-term exposure can lead to more severe rashes and fungal infections that aren’t easily treated.

Consult your GP immediately if you believe that you’re suffering from a bacterial or fungal infection so they can prescribe you medication to eradicate the infection.

In conjunction with the above health-related problems, the foul odour and gradual degradation of your health may begin to affect you emotionally and psychologically as well. Headaches and migraines may become more frequent, as well as difficulty concentrating.

Living in a home with water damaged carpet is never a good idea. No matter how much time you spend at home, a carpet that’s been damaged by water and left untreated will only worsen over time.

Mould is a resilient organism that’s tough enough to remove if you find it on your walls, for instance, and it’s even harder to remove when it’s been permitted to grow unfettered deep at the roots of your carpet. Mould typically requires powerful chemicals such as bleach to kill, and it needs to be killed thoroughly lest it be allowed to return at the next hint of moisture.

If you’re planning to treat your carpets yourself, be aware that not only should you be using the correct products but also that you apply the products safely and with the proper techniques.

Don’t allow flooded carpets to put you or your family in danger. While it may be possible to adequately clean your carpets yourself if the water’s potable and if it’s done in less than 48 hours of exposure, there’s always the risk of damaged padding and mould accumulating even in these instances.

Contact a professional water damage expert like Floodcare in Melbourne to have your carpet treated and repaired to a high standard.