The Rugbeater Stain Removal-The Rug Beater
IRENE & LEE
“Get it clean and get it dry”. That was the statement a cleaning industry instructor used at the end of each of his articles on carpet cleaning. This past September, many of us experienced wet conditions in our homes, especially our basements, that got our carpeting wet. Maybe “soaked” would be a better word. Having started a separate restoration business this year, Restoration Relief LLC, we experienced firsthand the effects of Hurricanes Irene and Lee. Many suffered the consequences of water invading their homes. We personally saw the anguish and heartache of homeowners who suddenly realized their finished basement was ruined. We removed carpet and pad, cut out drywall, removed insulation just so drying equipment could be placed to dry the remaining structure. This became a ritual for us in the days after Thursday, 9/8/11.
Some homeowners realized rather quickly they would need help and called companies like ours to help them dry out their basements. However, some were slow to realize their efforts to dry it out themselves were futile. Without the removal of some of the affected structure, like baseboards and drywall, areas behind the walls remained damp and in many cases saturated. Some used their own fans and household dehumidifiers to dry their carpets and floors. However, in many cases, this was a losing battle because of the moist, damp air in their basements caused by the flooding and confounded by the high humidity of the outside air. Many who fought this battle, soon discovered that their rooms began to smell. An unmistakable odor of the bacteria beginning to form in the wet carpet and structure.
Which brings me back to my opening statement. “Get it clean and get it dry”. Just as it is important to insure your carpet gets dry after it has been cleaned, it is paramount to get your basement dry after it has flooded. The results of a slow drying structure will first be a smell and then the possibility of mold. On that Thursday, September 8 2011 even my own home was not exempt from the basement seepage. I haven’t had water come in for years because I had “fixed” the problem through proper spouting drainage. However, the extreme rainfall pulled the pipe extension from my downspout and water came in. And, believe it or not, I had no equipment to put into my own basement because it was busy working to dry out other people’s homes. The result? After 5 days of a lone fan, the floor and walls dried out, BUT, I now have a lingering odor I will need to address sometime soon. UGH!
Many lessons will be learned as a result of the untimely visits of Hurricanes Irene and Lee. But few words can sum up its effect better than a statement told to me by a client who had water in his basement. He said, “ I knew what I needed to do, but didn’t want to do it”. Luckily, we were able to save much of his structure because he chose finally to “get it dry”!
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