Faster Drying Time Despite the heat of the warmer months, your carpet will actually dry faster in the colder temperatures. When the air is cold and dry outside, the warmed air inside your home will absorb moisture at a faster rate.
Warmer is better for drying! I consistently have well-meaning people proudly tell me that in order to dry their carpets faster, they are going to turn their air conditioning on.
To help the process along (and maybe even speed it up), you can: Set the temperature in your home for between 73° & 75° Fahrenheit. I know this is hot, but it's optimum. If it's too hot or too cold in your house, you're going to trap moisture in the carpet.
Open windows – air flow can help to improve drying times and opening windows can help, unless it is very humid outside. Use floor fans – running floor fans in areas with damp carpet will help to move the humid air created by evaporation out of the space, and dry the carpet more quickly.
Most carpets typically need 6-10 hours to dry completely. However, it could take up to 24 hours to dry depending on the time of year your carpets are cleaned, and the air circulation, humidity and temperature in your home.
Use a fan and/or box heater to blow warm air across the wet area of carpet. Warm air can hold more water than cold air, so warm air moving across the carpet will draw water out of the carpet. Use caution with a heater so you don't start a fire!
The majority of carpets should be dry if left for 24 hours if the temperature and air is right. If the carpet is wet for more than two days, it may develop mould, mildew, and bacteria, so it's best to do everything you can to speed up the drying process.
Turn on The Fans
If you've got a ceiling fan situated over the carpet, switch that on instead of opening the windows. It will make for a cooler, more concentrated funnel of air that can dry your carpet out quicker. The constantly circulating air will also leave a fresher, cleaner smell to the carpet.
Baking soda works wonders when it comes to lifting and removing trapped moisture. Simply sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda over your wet carpet and allow it to sit for at least half an hour. Then, vacuum it up and enjoy fresh dry carpets.
The Hidden Danger of Wet Carpet
The big danger with wet carpet is mold. If your carpet and padding stay wet for a long period of time, mold can begin to grow quickly. Mold loves dark, humid environments – and wet carpet provides the perfect environment for it to multiply. Mold can be a major health risk.
Fortunately, the process is simple. Run a fan pointed at the wet area to help moisture evaporate. A dehumidifier also works to pull moisture out of the air and dry out the carpet.
Air conditioners remove humidity from the air, which allows more room for moisture to evaporate from the carpet. Therefore, in a high humidity situation, turning on the air conditioner will speed up the carpet's drying process.
Carpets and rugs may dry slightly faster in the winter due to lower humidity that helps moisture evaporate more quickly.
It's really straightforward – all you need to do is sprinkle a generous among of baking soda over your wet carpet and let it sit. The baking soda not only absorbs moisture, but it'll also absorb any nasty odours.
mildew and mold will develop within 24-48 hours of water exposure. Even worse, it will continue to grow until steps are taken to eliminate the source of moisture, and effectively deal with the mold problem.
Only Vacuum a Dry Carpet
If you vacuum a wet carpet, dirty water could enter the motor and cause damage to it. In severe cases where the carpet is too wet, you could even risk electrocution. Even in a mild scenario, you'd still end up with a soggy mess to deal with when you eventually empty the dust bag.
Ultimately, opening the windows will indeed help reduce the drying time. That's because you'll have fresh air moving through the room. Just make sure that you open one or two windows at the opposite ends of the room to get a breeze going and improve the airflow.
In warm weather turn on your air conditioning. This will lower the humidity in the room. In cold weather turn on your heating. Warm dry air certainly helps dry the carpet faster.
This method takes the longest time, between 24 and 72 hours. Drying Fans: Industrial floor fans are a smart choice to reduce drying time in a major way. Just two specially designed floor fans can dry one large carpet per room in as little as 20 minutes.
It can take around 24 hours for a carpet to completely dry, but this may vary depending on its thickness and the amount of water used in cleaning it.
If the weather is too cold outside, use your ceiling fans or box fans to improve the airflow in the room. The fans will create a small breeze to dry up the moisture and help prevent bacteria growth in the carpet. Also, try to avoid going in the room while the fans dry the carpet.
One of the best ways to dry the carpet during the winter is by applying heat. Use a blow dryer to dry the carpet. It is an efficient method used by carpet cleaning professionals. This method is quite quick and it will help you to dry the carpet effectively.
The higher the humidity level inside and outside of your home or business, the longer it's going to take for your carpets to dry. When the air inside or outside your home or business is humid, it'll make it difficult for the water in your carpeting to evaporate.
On top of all that, a wet carpet is a tell-tale sign of an incomplete clean. If a machine fails to remove most of the moisture from your carpet, it usually means a lot of dirt and bacteria has been left behind too.
Cold Weather
Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, causing the air to feel dry and uncomfortable. Whenever doors or windows are opened, or if you have air leaks somewhere within the home, cold winter air enters the home and reduces the overall humidity levels.