Category : Fabric and Fiber Protection

Rugs and Floods – Rugs during a Water Damage Loss

Water Damage Loss Lake Forest, IL: When a home floods and mitigation company is called out to save your home, it is extremely rare that team’s expertise is oriental and area rugs.

In the midst of all of that chaos (usually in the middle of the night) your rugs are most likely the last concern of the mitigation team trying to saving your home.

Usually they are not trained to recognize the difference and understand the value of your rugs.

The wet rug in the family room may be worth a hundred dollars or a hundred thousand dollars, to them won’t make a difference. That rug might be an easy-to-replace contemporary piece or a rare and antique piece of textile art; if they are not trained properly they will not know that.

We know that. We are ONLY Master Certified Rug Cleaners in Chicagoland!

We know how valuable a rug can be when a memory from a past trip or an heirloom is handed down through family generations.

In the middle of water damage disaster saving that rug may be the one bright spot. We know who to do it!

Here are simple guidelines that help us save rugs value (monetary and sentimental) when dealing with water damaged rugs.

First thing first, we identify fibers.

Rule of thumb is natural fiber (silk, wool, and cotton) rugs have a higher value than synthetic fibers. Natural fibers absorb water more readily than synthetic fibers, and these will be the fibers most prone to dye migration and mold. The longer natural fiber rugs stay wet, the more damage and contamination will result.

During the triage our focus is first on the rugs that are wool, silk, and cotton. Synthetic fiber (nylon, olefin/polypropylene, and polyester) rugs are usually machine made and will have a label on the back corner which shows fiber content but we are skilled in fiber identification.

When a homeowner is not present to inform us which rugs have a higher value to them, then we focus on whether rugs are woven or tufted.

We will identify if woven rugs have been woven by hand or woven by machine, and we focus on saving first the rug that is hand woven.

Tufted rugs have a backing material. Usually these rugs have a cloth covering on the rug, or a glue or rubber backing.  A tufted rug that is from Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, or another similar or online stores, is usually a commodity rug and often costs less to replace than to attempt to save.

Because of their structure, tufted rugs left wet too long tend to fall apart, and the adhesive and backing materials are extremely susceptible to mold growth. Therefore, these rugs often are considered a total loss when exposed to a flood. In those instances we suggest to homeowners to replace this types of rugs, rather than spending money on saving them.

As in all aspects of water damage – Time is of essence!

Extraction and drying as quickly as possible is a must for all rugs. If extracted and dried quickly, further damage to natural fiber rugs will be halted and the rugs can be fully wash and disinfected so that it can be return to pre-loss condition, as much as possible. The quicker the water-damaged rugs are dried out, the greater the chance to save them.

Never, never, never do it yourself or allow your restoration team to hang wet rugs to drip dry. This can cause more dye migration throughout the rug and, depending on the weight of the rug, it also can cause structural damage that may be irreversible.

There are précised steps that have to be taken on what is the best way to extract and dry rugs after a water loss. Extraction needs to be performed within a certain direction of the pile, so pile damage does not occur. This is especially true in extracting silk or artificial silk fibers, which can help lessen damage to delicate fibers.

Proper extraction of a woven rug is essential in removing moisture from the foundation fibers, and speeded drying process.

Water damage rugs will have to be taken to a professional drying chamber for a proper quick dry out, so that moisture doesn’t affect the face side of the rug.

The longer a rug is wet, the higher the chance of dye damage.

Transporting of a wet rug is critical too.

If you decide you want to drop off your wet rug at our rugs studio, here a few tips on who to minimize the damage to your rug in transit.

When transporting a wet or damp natural fiber rug, do not roll up without a barrier to prevent dye bleeding from the face to the back side.  Also never stack them on top of one another without a barrier between. Best way to do it is to roll them in cotton sheets or towels (after extraction) to help absorb dyes that are released and prevent them from spreading into other areas of that rug.

An ideal scenario, for water-damaged rugs would be to immediately call us, so we can properly extract, transport, wash and decontaminate and then thoroughly dry them. But if your restoration company is not Wiz Team, Inc. and they do not have a facility with a complete rug-washing system in place, then have them extract the rugs as quickly as possible, which will allow you to take these rugs to our rug studio with minimal damage and a much higher likelihood of us saving them.

Most natural fiber rugs have cotton interior warps and wefts, which are prone to mold growth from a flood. So main concerns with rugs getting wet from floods is the risk of mold in the interior fibers.

All synthetic fiber rugs have interior jute and cotton fibers, which also are extremely prone to mold growth from flooding. Therefore, extraction and speedy dry out is the first step to stop contamination risks and permanent damage.

All rugs exposed to flood water must be thoroughly washed and treated with the appropriate disinfectant or sanitizing solution to return them to pre-loss condition.

At Wiz Team, Inc. we perform a throughout wash process, and then the proper disinfectant or sanitizing solution is applied. There is a strict guideline that we follow for effective decontamination based on the source of water and the category of the flood.

Per guidelines water damage rug may require a 20-minute dwell time, or perhaps multiple cycles of disinfecting soaks, which cannot be performed in home or by water damage restoration team that is not trained who to do it properly. This can (on a rug with dyes that are not colorfast) present a dye-bleed risk and permanent damage.

Sometimes pre-existing conditions may magnify the risks of this salvage attempt. A rug with heavy pet urine contamination that has already created a mold and dry rot problem within the foundation of the rug may create a contamination scenario in which the rug needs to be handled as Category 2 or 3, even though the water sours was a clean-water pipe break.

Water Mitigation Companies (unless also certified as master rug cleaners), do not have knowledge nor training how to properly treat and handle water-damaged rugs.

As ONLY Certified Master Rugs Cleaners in Chicagoland, our role is to identify which rugs can be saved and take all appropriate and necessary steps necessary to minimize the damage to the rugs by properly decontaminating and professional washing your rugs.

With our rug triage process for water damaged rugs, especially on woven and natural fiber rugs, will increase the chances of saving the most valuable rugs in a flooded home.

If you suffer water damage to your home and you have rugs that have been affected by flood water – Immediately call Wiz Team, Inc. (847) 526-6060 – ONLY Certified Rug Experts to help you save your rugs!

At Wiz Team, Inc. we are proud to be IICRC Certified as Master Textile Cleaner, Master Water Damage Restorer, Master Fire & Smoke Restorer and Master Rug Cleaner.

We hold over 20 different certifications.