Water Damaged Rug Cleaning El Paso

A water heater starts leaking in the closet. A supply line breaks under the sink. By the time you find it, the water has crossed the floor and your rug got wet. It is heavy and cold, a smell is starting to build, and you are wondering: can a wet rug be saved?

Often, yes. A soaked rug is not automatically a lost rug. Time does matter, though, so the sooner it comes out of the house and gets washed and dried the right way, the better.

For wet, soaked and flood damaged rugs from Horizon City, Socorro and Fabens through El Paso to Las Cruces, we pick the rug up, wash it at our own rug plant, and bring it home clean and fresh.

Most Water-Damaged Rugs Come From Inside the House

The most common causes are a leaking water heater, a burst pipe, and a broken water line. That water comes from a fresh water source, which is considered clean when it first spills.

Fresh water is still a problem if the rug stays wet. Left alone, a soaked rug can start to grow mildew or mold, and wet wool and cotton can begin to mildew within 24 to 48 hours. The fix is to get the rug out and washed and dried properly before that happens.

Flood Water Is a Different Problem

A flood means water that starts outside and comes into your home. On the way in, it mixes with whatever is on the ground, so it is considered contaminated, like sewage. That is a very different starting point from a leaking pipe.

Both kinds of water damage are serious. We treat them differently.

Rugs that were in outside floodwater are handled case by case. Until we see the rug and what the water has done to it, it is very hard to say what is possible, so we evaluate it first and tell you honestly what to expect.

Jackie’s Navajo rug was soaked by muddy rainwater when her guesthouse flooded. She was worried the natural dyes might bleed or fade during cleaning. Afterward she wrote in her Google review: “The rug came back looking sparkling clean, no discoloration and no damage.”

Tell Us Where the Water Came From

When you call, tell us whether the water came from a leak inside the house or from outside, and when it happened. Time matters. If it just happened, the rug is most likely still wet. If it happened a week ago, the rug may be dry or it may not, it may smell or it may not, and the colors may have set. Every water-damaged rug is evaluated by how contaminated the water was and how long ago it happened, and that decides how we handle it.

Can a Water Damaged Rug Be Saved?

We would rather tell you the truth than take money for a rug we cannot fix.

Very saveable: rugs that were wet for a short time, wool and synthetic rugs, and hand-knotted and Persian or oriental rugs with a sound foundation.

Mostly saveable, with honest expectations: rugs that stayed wet for several days, and rugs whose dyes moved while wet. Moved dye can often be stripped, but with natural fibers there are real limits, and no cleaner can promise it every time.

Usually not worth saving: rugs with a foundation that has rotted and is splitting, and machine-made rugs with a latex or foam backing that stayed wet long enough for the layers to separate.

A Real 9 x 12 Rug: A Leaking Water Heater, a Windy Day, and Slow Drying

This 9 x 12 wool rug got soaked when a water heater leaked. Its owner did what many people would do and carried it outside to dry. It was very windy, so the wind blew dirt into the wet rug, and it did not dry fast enough. Rugs that stay wet too long can develop cellulose browning, the dingy brown cast that shows up as moisture slowly pulls color from the rug’s foundation up into the surface.

Wet and dirty is not the end of a rug. We washed this one at our own plant and dried it with controlled airflow, and it went home looking and smelling clean. We cannot promise every rug turns out this way, but we will always tell you honestly what to expect before we start.

What to Do With a Wet Rug Until We Pick It Up

• Get the rug out of standing water, and out of a closed garage or car, so air can move around it.
• Keep it clean while it dries. Outside, wind can blow dirt into a wet rug, and slow drying is what lets browning set in. Indoors with good airflow, laid flat, is usually the better choice.
• Lay it flat so air can reach it. Do not drape it over a railing, chair or line: a wet rug is heavy, and draping can crease it.
• Do not scrub the rug. Do not roll or fold it while it is wet and leave it. That traps moisture where mildew starts, and it can push dye from one color into the next.
• If the water came from outside, wear gloves when you handle the rug and wash your hands afterward.
• Take photos before anything moves. They are useful for your records, and for insurance if you plan to file a claim.
• Call us and tell us what happened.

What You’ll See When Your Rug Comes Home

• In most cases the water stains and the dull, gray look are gone, and the colors are bright again.
• The wet, musty smell is gone. The rug smells fresh and clean.
• The pile feels soft underfoot, not stiff or crusty.
• You can put it back down without thinking about the water every time you walk past.

If mildew had already settled deep before we saw the rug, we tell you that before we start, not after.

Pickup and Delivery for Wet Rugs

A soaked rug can weigh several times what it does dry. You should not be the one lifting it. Pickup and delivery are free from Horizon City, Socorro and Fabens, through El Paso, all the way to Las Cruces, and we can arrange it from farther away. See our rug pickup and delivery page.

Was the rug in a house fire? See our fire and smoke damaged rug cleaning and restoration page.

How Long Does It Take?

Water-damaged rugs are not rushed and are not moved ahead of other work, so they can take a while. Doing it right depends on the level of contamination and how long ago the water got to the rug, and every rug is evaluated first. Cleaning a rug properly after water damage is not a quick job, just as restoring a home after water damage takes time too.

We Wash the Rug, Not the House

We clean and dry rugs at our own rug plant. We do not do water extraction or restoration of your home. If your floors or walls are wet, you will need a water restoration company for the house, and we will take care of the rug.

Water Damaged Rug Cleaning in Las Cruces and Southern New Mexico

We pick up and deliver water-damaged rugs in Las Cruces, too. Call us and tell us what happened, and we will explain how it works.

Questions We Hear After Water Damage

How long before a wet rug molds?
Wet wool and cotton can begin to mildew within 24 to 48 hours. The sooner the rug is out and washed and dried properly, the better.

Why does my rug smell musty after it got wet?
The smell usually comes from moisture trapped in the fibers and the foundation, and it gets worse the longer the rug stays wet. Washing the whole rug, not just the spot, is how we deal with it.

Should I throw out a rug that flooded?
Please do not throw it out before you take photos and call us. Some rugs can be saved, and some cannot. We look at the rug and tell you honestly. If you plan to file an insurance claim, keep the rug until your adjuster has seen it.

Does it matter if the water came from a leak or a flood?
Yes. A leak from a water heater or a water line is fresh water, and the main concern is mildew or mold if the rug stays wet. Outside floodwater is considered contaminated, so it is handled case by case. Tell us which it was when you call.

Will the colors run?
Some rugs bleed when they get wet. The dye either rinses off cleanly or moves onto a neighboring color, and when it moves we strip it. We check how a rug’s dyes behave before washing begins, so nothing is a surprise.

How much does it cost to clean a water damaged rug?
Size, fiber, and condition decide the work, and every water-damaged rug is evaluated first, so we give you a price after we see it.

Does insurance cover a water damaged rug?
We cannot tell you what your policy covers. Take photos before anything moves, keep the rug, and ask your insurance company or adjuster.

Do I call a rug cleaner or a water damage company?
Both, if the house got wet. A water restoration company handles the floors and walls. We wash the rug.

Do you pick up wet rugs?
Yes. Pickup and delivery are free from Horizon City, Socorro and Fabens, through El Paso, all the way to Las Cruces.

Who will be handling my rug?
A family-owned team that has cleaned rugs in El Paso since 1995, with current IICRC certifications.

Call Us About Your Water-Damaged Rug

Call (915) 820-2656 and tell us what happened. We will tell you honestly what to expect. Our customers rate us 4.9 stars on Google.