How to dry wet carpets without a vacuum?

For a small amount of water in a small area

If you have a loose rug that you need to dry, the best thing to do, if the weather is warm, is to take it outside. Lay the rug down flat or hang it over something so the heat, wind, and sun can dry the carpet thoroughly.

If you need to dry a small area of a carpet that cannot be moved. The best solution is to dry the area with water-absorbing towels. Place the towels on the wet area and dab it with your hands or feet, this will soak up water from the carpet. Then depending on the size of the area continue to either dry it with a hairdryer or place a fan nearby to blow the carpet dry. 

For how to dry wet carpet after cleaning them, would be handled the same as above. Dry the carpets for main walkways by leaving them to dry overnight, such as your stairs. If the wet carpet is in a separate room, place fans on both sides of the room, blowing towards each other and the carpet. 

For a large amount of water soaking the entire carpet

Suffering from a burst water pipe or the aftermath of a flood is a brutal experience that no one wants to go through. But unfortunately, when you are faced with such an event, every minute counts.

Leaving carpets wet can cause a large amount of damage to your home. Wet carpets can damage the floor underneath the carpet, the padding and put you and your family’s health at risk.

As mold and mildew will begin to grow within 24 – 48 hours of water exposure, releasing toxins into the air you breathe. Your entire family can develop respiratory issues such as having difficulties in breathing, eye, nose, or throat irritations, headaches, and other symptoms.

Your first action should be to remove the water and dry the carpet as quickly as possible. Below we give you steps to follow for how to dry a carpet fast and thoroughly.

Step 1: Remove as much water as possible

For large amounts of water, your first step is to remove as much water as possible. Use buckets or any large plastic containers to remove as much water as you can as quickly as possible.

Step 2: Remove furniture and other items

Now that you have removed the majority of the water, you now need to remove furniture and other items from the wet carpet. If furniture stands on wet carpets while drying, the areas under the furniture will leave an indentation, take longer to dry, and can ruin your carpets in the process.

Step 3: Dry the carpet even more

After removing the majority of the water, your carpet is still sopping wet, and to dry it, even more, would be easier if you owned a shop vac or could rent one. There is no time to waste so at this moment, you want how to dry a soaked carpet without a wet and dry vacuum cleaner.

A solution would be to grab some towels that are great at absorbing and removing moisture from carpets. Lay them down on the wet carpet and let them soak all the excess moisture for about 30 minutes, as this will help to dry the carpets even more.

Another method you can use if the carpet is still not dry is to use baking soda on the wet carpet. Baking soda is a great carpet moisture absorber, it will extract water from the carpet and help dry the carpets a lot faster.

Pour as much baking soda on the wet carpet as you need, be sure to cover the wet area. Then wait half an hour to an hour until the baking soda has properly soaked inside the carpet fibers, blow the carpet with a fan.

Step 4: Get Air circulating in the room

Turn on any type of fan you may have, ceiling fans, desk fans, or freestanding fans. Place them on opposite sides of the room, as they will not only help to get air circulating in the room they will also dry the carpets quicker. Running fans is the fastest way to dry carpets and they also help you to get rid of the damp smell that wet carpets have.

If you have windows in the room, you can also open the windows to get air circulating. Using only this way will help but will take a lot longer than running fans in the room.

If the weather is not great, outside and you do not have any fans but you do have an air conditioning system. Turn it on, as it will dry out the air, which then will dry the carpets.

You can also use a dehumidifier to dry out the room, as this machine will also remove excess moisture from the air. When a dehumidifier dries out the air, it also speeds up the drying time for your carpets.

Step 5: Check the status of your carpet’s padding

The padding underneath is another area you need to check on. If it didn’t get too wet you can lift the carpet and dry the padding with fans, or a dehumidifier. But, if the padding is soaked in water, a better option would be to replace it entirely.