Carpets and Flooring

It's best to have professional cleaners work on carpets and floors, but if that isn't possible, there are some steps you can take. Remember to clean and dry the floor thoroughly before attempting any repairs.

• Pull up saturated carpets and rugs, and drape them outside.
• Spray off muddy carpets with a hose. Use a broom to work a low-sudsing, disinfectant carpet cleaner into soiled spots.
• To discourage mildew, rinse the backing with a solution of 2 tablespoons of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Do not use this solution on wool carpets; instead, try pine-oil cleaners.
• Disinfect the slab or subfloor, and allow it to dry completely. (This may take several months.) Replace any section that seperated.
• Discard and replace carpet padding.
• For wood floors, remove a board every few feet to reduce buckling. Replace the boards once the floor is dry.
• Remove floor coverings with wood subflooring, and replace the subfloor. You don't have to remove vinyl covering concrete floors, but doing so will hasten drying and prevent mold.
• Replace loose tiles over soaked flooring. This may mean a few tiles or the entire sheet.

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