It’s no secret that water can be extremely damaging to your home and the things in it, and that includes your area rugs. A high-quality area rug can cost thousands of dollars, so it’s important to protect your investment whenever it gets wet. Whether the water damage came from a leaky roof, a burst pipe, or a spill, excess moisture can lead to a mold infestation if it’s not taken care of immediately. If you find yourself with a soaking wet area rug, here are some tips from the team at JMS Enterprises to help you get it dried as quickly as possible:

Remove the Rug and Padding

The first step to drying your rug is removing it from the wet area. Roll up your rug and make arrangements to fix the source of the water damage. If you have a pad under your rug, it should be removed and disposed of. It will be easier to get a new one than to save your existing pad. Moving the rug and pad will not only allow your rug to dry but also protect the floors underneath from being damaged. If the weather is dry and sunny, you can take the rug outside and work on it there. 

Lay the Rug Flat

You should lay your rug flat in an area where it can get some air circulation underneath. A back deck works well for this, but if you don’t have one or it’s not big enough, any flat surface, like a driveway or patio, can work.

Use a Squeegee 

Getting the majority of the water out of the rug will make it much easier to work with, and a squeegee is the best tool for this. In fact, that’s what many professional area rug cleaners use when they are cleaning a rug! Gently push as much water as you can out of the rug, being careful not to damage the fibers.

Dry the Rug

Now that you have removed most of the water, you need to dry the rug completely, or mold could still form. If possible, elevate the rug off the ground and aim some fans at it. A dehumidifier placed nearby will help a great deal with this process.

Get the Rug Professionally Cleaned

Even if you manage to dry your rug out completely, it will still need to be cleaned. The rug fibers will likely be matted down, and it could have picked up some abrasive dirt from being on the ground outside. A professional cleaning will get it looking just like it did before it got soaked.

At JMS Enterprises, we have been cleaning area rugs in Bucks County and Montgomery County, PA, for decades. Our friendly technicians will be happy to come to your home and take your water-damaged rugs to our Woolsafe®-certified Rug Salon to undergo our cleaning process. That includes thoroughly steam cleaning, rinsing, and drying. Once the rug is clean and dry, we brush the fibers to prevent them from getting matted down, and we can even make repairs to the backing and edging, if necessary. When we’re done, we will deliver the rug back to you and place it wherever you want!

Get in touch with us today by calling (215) 706-0188 if you have a wet area rug, or if you need professional area rug cleaning in Montgomery County, PA and surrounding areas.