While the carpet is drying check the condition of the wall insulation.
Can wall heat dry a wet carpet.
Find the cold leaky part of a wall with an infrared camera.
Infrared cameras detect heat and can indicate the temperature of a wall.
High powered fans are best for this job.
Be sure to check carpet and padding for water damage and pull it up if necessary.
Make your inspection easier and speed up drying time by moving everything out of the room.
Focus on the pad since it will take longer than the carpet to dry.
The same can be true of a small leak if it s caught soon enough.
When this happens immediately stop the flow of water and proceed to dry the drywall with towels.
Circulate the air around the carpet as fast as possible.
Wet carpet can become a real problem if it is left untreated and getting the moisture out in time can save you time and money.
Depending on these conditions and any changes in humidity that might occur.
Afterwards you will be left with a clean and dry carpet.
How to keep wet carpet from molding.
Train an infrared camera on a wall with a leak and look to see which section of the wall is the coldest.
Next use a wet dry vacuum or shop vac to suck up as much of the remaining moisture as possible from the carpet fibers.
However if you only have standard fans a little.
It s important to act.
If you can easily see the damp in your sheetrock the walls are probably painted with one or two coats of flat or semi gloss paint.
Place a fan nearby and direct the airflow across the affected region.
Wet carpet pad can hold many times it s own weight in water so it is important to get as much water as possible out of the pad.
Use fans heaters and or dehumidifiers to move warm air across the pad see step 3 from the small area instructions.
Bottom line the humidity conditions in a room will determine the speed at which a wet carpet will dry.
But if the insulation is wet it s gotta go wet insulation cannot be saved.
Before vacuuming you can choose to spray a carpet cleaner over the surface.
Wet carpet can be a perfect breeding ground for mold especially if the air is humid and the water remains in place longer than 48 hours.
Vacuum the wet carpet with a wet dry vacuum until no moisture remains.
Open windows turn on fans and put a fan on the floor to help dry things out.
Factor in wall covering or paint type.
In a low humidity environment turning on the heater can provide extra heat needed to speed up the evaporation of moisture in a carpet allowing it to dry faster.
Snap a chalk line cut the drywall with a recip saw and toss the wet stuff.
A leaky wet wall will have a cooler temperature than the surrounding wall.
Turn on any ceiling or household fans in the area to speed things along and be sure to check the floor and carpet padding underneath the carpet to remove any lingering moisture.