"Carpets won't dry fast...."

Let’s play Mythbusters! We know that our unique 7-step Steam Cleaning process gets carpet and upholstery fibers clean and recovers 95% of the moisture used during the high heat, low moisture, high vacuum process, using the best truck-mounted machines and cleaning solutions. However, clients can be reluctant to use these services when the weather is cold and wet outside, usually stating that it will take too long for the materials to dry. The myth says “Carpets won’t dry fast because it is cold and wet outside”.

The trick to drying anything is this: Force the humidity into a lower humidity environment. For this situation it is relatively easy. Set the forced air heating in the home or office between 76-78 degrees after the cleaning and use any/all ceiling fans (or small box fans on floor if you don’t have ceiling fixtures). Humidity wants to rise off the floors and into the warm, dry air you are providing, just keep it moving. If the humidity is high outside, then keep it a closed system. If the humidity is low and temps are high outside, then open some ventilation points.

Now, each type of fiber has a different reaction to moisture, which will affect dry time no matter what environment you create. Wool and some modern polymers (Olefin, Polypropylene, Microfiber, etc.) can hold onto moisture much longer than cotton or nylon. Those types of fibers will need more time to dry, usually at least 24 hours, sometimes twice as much.

Finally, when dealing with an empty home or office having no Heat/AC available, it will take longer to dry unless adequate ventilation is provided with the right temperature. Plan on more time than a day if a closed empty home has been cleaned with temps of lower than 70 degrees and zero ventilation. It will simply take longer for the moisture to evaporate out of the fabric.

Finally, during hot, humid, monsoon type weather, fabrics can also take a little longer to dry because the air might be above 82 degrees and higher than 25% humidity. In that case, it is best to use the AC to lower temps into the 76-78 degree range, closing the home or office to the higher humidity outside, still using as many fans as available to circulate air within.

There! Hopefully now you can see that no matter the ambient temperature and humidity, there are easy solutions to drying those materials fast. However, always call us right away if you have water damage in an area, because materials such as walls, subfloors, padding, and insulation require very specific forced air drying or even removal and replacement, depending on the source and extent of the water damage.

Remember, Old West is the Best, Just put us to the Test!