I need some advice and this seems like a good place to get it. We went
away for the weekend and returned to a flooded basement. Apparently
the sump pump broke while we were away. We have a fully finished and
furnished basement with carpeting throughout. Two bedrooms, a game
room and an entertainment room. What is the best way to clean up the
mess? Is there a way to dry out the carpets and salvage the floors?
Should we turn the heat on, call professionals to come and clean it?
Do we need to wait for it to dry to clean? How dangerous is it to
breathe with mold/mildew possibly an issue? Need some advice...the
homeowner thinks we need to wait to have the carpets cleaned until it
dries out. How are we supposed to dry it out? We are using a shop
vac and carpet shampooer but it's just not enough. Please help!

Don't waste your time drying out the carpets. Tear everything out and
get new carpet, or perhaps vinyl tile or laminate flooring. A
dehumidifier definately helps.

"Jen" writes:

I need some advice and this seems like a good place to get it. We went
away for the weekend and returned to a flooded basement. Apparently
the sump pump broke while we were away. We have a fully finished and
furnished basement with carpeting throughout. Two bedrooms, a game
room and an entertainment room. What is the best way to clean up the
mess? Is there a way to dry out the carpets and salvage the floors?
Should we turn the heat on, call professionals to come and clean it?
Do we need to wait for it to dry to clean? How dangerous is it to
breathe with mold/mildew possibly an issue? Need some advice...the
homeowner thinks we need to wait to have the carpets cleaned until it
dries out. How are we supposed to dry it out? We are using a shop
vac and carpet shampooer but it's just not enough. Please help!

You need to replace the carpets, not just clean them. Get them out ASAP
instead of waiting for them to dry. If you have drywall down there that
got soaked on the bottom, you need to have the damp parts of that
replaced as well. Yes, there are professionals who specialize in this
kind of cleanup.

-Sandra

There are professionals who do that kind of clean up, and they don't
always remove and discard the carpet. There are ways to dry it out but
it needs to be done fast and it's not a DIY project.


-rev