Carpet water extraction in San Diego. Save it when we can.

Often yes, depending on three things: the water category, how long it sat wet, and the carpet quality. Clean water that's been wet less than 48 hours, on a healthy carpet, almost always saves. Gray water beyond 48 hours, low-quality carpet, or any sewage exposure tilts toward replacement. We'll be straight with you on which case you're in.

The pad is essentially a sponge. Once it's saturated past a certain point, you can't extract enough water out of it to dry without trapping moisture against the subfloor. It's also cheap — $0.50-$1.00/sq ft for fresh pad — so the math works out for almost every Cat 2 loss.

If we treat it properly with antimicrobial, no. Smells come from microbial growth in the pad or subfloor — both of which we prevent with proper drying timeline and antimicrobial application. If you smell something a week later, call us back.

Light foot traffic is fine when the carpet is floating on air movers. Just avoid setting heavy objects on it until the seams are tacked back down. We typically tape the edges to keep it stable.