When removing water from materials such as carpet, depending on the method, there might be a lot of questions running through your mind. What type of materials are in my carpet? Can anything be done to make the process go faster? Is my rug supposed to smell bad? Today, we will try to answer some of these questions for you.
Different types of materials do impact drying time. Unless you were very involved in the process of picking materials for your home, or you live in an apartment or condo, you may not even know what type of material your carpet is comprised of. You might not have even known that there are many different types of carpeting materials, period!
Natural fibers and synthetic fibers are affected by water differently, leaving their drying time much different. In addition, other factors such as the thickness of the padding underneath the carpeting can affect drying time as well. Natural fibers such as wool and jute can have their advantages, such as their strength and stain resistance. However, one of the drawbacks to natural fibers is how much harder it is to effectively dry out. Another drawback is the potential for odors when dealing with natural fibers.
Synthetics, on the other hand, come in a variety of types and styles. Without going into too much specific detail regarding all the different types of synthetic fibers, synthetics do tend to dry much faster than natural fibers, mostly because the carpet material itself is not made to be porous and does not tend to hold moisture well at all.
However, other materials such as the carpet padding, regardless if you have it under natural or synthetic carpet, still has the potential to hold water, which is why mechanical removal of water is recommended more than simply using a dehumidifier in conjunction with air movers. In fact, mechanical removal of water by using water extractors (read more here…) is 10,000 TIMES more effective than the above method of water removal.
So, while the type of carpet you have plays a large role in the drying time, using the right equipment to get the job done quickly and effectively plays just as important of a role when it comes to health of your home.
