Extraction, drying, and an honest salvage assessment for carpet and padding affected by water damage.
Three things decide whether wet carpet is worth saving: water category, how long it sat. The condition of the padding underneath. Clean water extracted within a few hours gives carpet a real chance of full recovery. The same carpet soaked for two days, or exposed to gray or black water, usually doesn't.
Padding almost never survives a significant water event regardless of how quickly it's caught. This is because it absorbs and holds water like a sponge and rarely dries evenly enough to avoid a musty smell setting in. Replacing padding while saving the carpet itself is the most common outcome we see.
We give a straight answer on salvageability during the initial assessment rather than trying every possible drying method first: there's no benefit to spending days drying carpet that was never going to be salvageable in the first place.
Determining whether the water was clean, gray, or contaminated black water.
How long the carpet sat wet before extraction began.
Checking whether padding underneath is salvageable or needs replacement.
Whether carpet and padding can be saved changes the total considerably. So the number above is a starting point until we've assessed your specific carpet in writing.
Not every wet carpet is worth the time and equipment cost of a full drying attempt. We'd rather tell you that upfront than run days of equipment on carpet that was never going to be salvageable. Our assessment checks fiber type, since natural fibers like wool hold water differently than synthetic carpet, along with backing condition and how the padding underneath has absorbed water. Carpet over a concrete slab, common in many Peachtree City homes, also dries differently than carpet over a wood subfloor, since concrete holds moisture longer and can wick it back into freshly dried carpet if the slab itself isn't also addressed.
This upfront assessment is part of why our estimate ranges are broad. A confirmed salvage case and a confirmed replacement case land at very different points on that range. We won't know which one applies until we've actually looked at your carpet.
It depends on water category, how long it sat, and padding condition. We give a direct assessment during our visit rather than guessing after the fact.
Rarely for anything beyond a very small, quickly-caught spill. Padding holds water like a sponge and tends to develop a musty smell even when it technically dries.
A faint smell during drying is common and usually resolves once fully dry. A persistent musty smell after drying is complete can mean the padding underneath needs a second look.