If you experience even just a small amount of water seeping into your home from a flood or a broken pipe you should be worried about mold. Mold only needs a little bit of moisture and a dark place to grow quickly.
The quicker you start cleaning up your wet carpet, the sooner you can stop mold from growing under it. You also want to get it cleaned up quickly because mold can cause health problems.
A wet/dry vacuum is the most effective tool for removing water; use one to get up as much water as soon as possible. If you do not own one you can rent one at most hardware stores or from a water and smoke damage restoration company.
Fans can take several days to completely dry wet carpet, but they do also help to circulate fresh air. Even if you think it’s dry it probably isn’t, keep the fans going 24 hours a day for another week or so.
Dehumidifiers get rid of excessive moisture, this will make the air feel cooler and limit the mold and mildew growth. Equipment that helps dry out the air and the ground will speed up the time it takes for your wet carpet to dry.
Steam clean or hire a company to steam clean all your carpets to properly sanitize and deodorize. Usually water damaged carpet padding must be replace, but this is much less expensive than replacing all of the carpet in your home.
Examine your furniture for water damage and remove it from wet carpet and flooring. Damage can be easily hidden under rugs or carpet, so make sure you give your home a thorough inspection when you suspect water damage.
Wet carpet and floors are difficult to clean up under any circumstances, but after a storm or flood, contamination by mud, silt, sewage, and mildew can make the problem more complex. At this point you may want to consider consulting a restoration company.