How to Deal with Water in Your Carpets that Comes with a Cold Winter

The Winter season has hit us and so too has the rain! For a lot of us in New Zealand we welcome this rain with open arms. It's good for the soil, plants and especially the farmlands, but, it's not always as good for our houses. Water damage is a very real and difficult situation to deal with when it comes to house maintenance and even when the whole house is set up to handle a flood, a leaky roof could be your house’s undoing. So what should you do if water manages to get all over the place, including your precious carpet?

A carpet with water stains can be a common problem and it can happen very easily from a glass of water spillage, a leak in the house or in those drastic times when a water pipe bursts. Either way it should be dealt with quickly and effectively to get rid of the stain before any mildew starts to grow in your carpet. Alongside water spots on carpet, untreated water stains on rugs can also lead to some big problems for your home. If left untreated, stains on rugs can lead to mould, especially if the rug sits on wooden flooring.

What is Mildew? It's a type of fungus or mould that grows quickly out of areas that have a high level of moisture. Within households, a wet carpet is a prime location for this mildew to grow and if left untreated it could be the cause of a number of health problems for you and your family.

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So what should you do to get rid of water spots on your carpet?

There are plenty of methods to get rid of the stains, try out this simple one that's useful for small water stains that have happened recently:‍

Step 1 - Spot the source of the stain.

If someone spilled some water then that's fine as it is clear where the water came from and you can go right to cleaning it up. If the water came from an external source then this could be a sign of a bigger problem such as a leaky roof or pipe. For any stain it's good to find out early on what the cause was so that once it's clean you can avoid it happening again.

Step 2 - Soak up the Stain

If the spill is fresh, grab a clean cloth or some paper towels and blot up as much of the water as you can. To get really effective with this first step, try leaving a heavy object on the cloth for a while as it will soak up most of the moisture.

Step 3 - Dab the stain and remove any dirt from the carpet’s fibres

Using a new cloth covered with soap and water, dab the stain by starting at the edges and moving inwards. This will help bring out any sediment mixed into the carpet and help to give it a deeper clean. Once done, allow the carpet to dry and see if the stain persists. If it's still there then it may be time to call in a professional to handle the stain.‍

What about if my house is suffering from serious water damage?

The above method for fixing small water stains on carpet is useful and something you can do at home on your own but for anything on a larger scale we recommend a different approach. If you are worried about water damage throughout your home then take a look at our blog on flooding and water damage restoration and why it's better to get professionals to do the job.

Get in contact with your local JAE branch if you are wanting professional assistance with handling any water damage that's happened to your house.