Dealing with wet carpets in your home can be a real pain – you run the risk of having a mold infestation and having to completely replace your carpets if not dealt with properly.

This guide will provide you with all of the information you need to properly dry out your wet carpets using fans, and hopefully avoid any further damage to your home.

Can You Use Fans To Dry Out Carpets?

Yes, you can indeed use fans to dry out wet carpets.

Fans are quite an effective tool as they make air move past the carpet at high speeds, essentially drawing the moisture out into the atmosphere.

Fans are actually one of the only ways you can successfully dry out a wet carpet – other potential methods include using dehumidifiers or a hairdryer, but those are much less effective.

What Are The Best Fans To Dry Out Your Carpet?

1 – Ceiling Fans

Arguably the best type of fan to use when drying out a wet carpet is a ceiling fan. This is because the ceiling fan will create a large enough air funnel to target the entire room, making the drying process incredibly efficient. Also, most people already have access to a ceiling fan in their home, so there’s no need to go out and spend money!

2 – Regular Fans

What happens if you don’t have a ceiling fan to dry out your wet carpet? Use a regular fan! While a regular desk or standing fan may not be as effective as a ceiling fan, since it’ll cover a smaller area and take a longer time to dry the carpet fully, it’s still a viable option if you have no other choice.

If you want to speed up the drying process, consider using two fans on opposite sides of the room and putting them to the highest setting. Again, your carpet won’t dry as quickly as with a ceiling fan, but this will get the job done!

3 – Air Movers aka Industrial Fans

If you have the budget for it, you may want to consider purchasing or hiring an industrial fan to dry your carpet out. These fans are especially helpful if the carpet is heavily saturated with water, or if you’re tackling a fairly large area.

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How Long Does It Take To Dry Carpet With A Fan?

How long it will take you to dry out your carpet will largely depend on how much moisture is present, what kind of carpet you have (thick and fluffy vs quite thin), and what kind of fan you’ll be using.

Industrial fans are by far the most efficient and quick at drying our wet carpets. You should have a fully dried carpet within about 4 hours, even if it was heavily saturated with water.

When using a ceiling fan, most types of carpet will require around 6 to 10 hours to be fully dry.

When using regular fans, the drying process may take up to 24 hours since they’re less powerful and less efficient than ceiling fans.

Again, the drying time will depend on how thick your carpet actually is and how much moisture is present – if there was only a small spill of water, even the thickest of carpets will dry out very quickly.

How To Use Fans To Dry Out Your Carpet

Knowing that fans can be used to dry out your wet carpet is great, but how do you actually go about it?

Take a look below at our step-by-step instructions, as well as some logistical information about the number of fans you will need, how best to set them up, and how to prevent future damage.

How do you do it?

1. Use towels to soak up the water first – Depending on how saturated the carpet is, you may need to use some towels to soak up any standing or excess water. Simply grab some towels, place them down on the affected area, and push down slightly to soak up as much water as possible.
2. Open up some windows – The fans in the room will be drawing the moisture out of the carpet into the surrounding air, which will eventually create a very moist environment. Having the windows open while this happens will allow that moist air to escape, speeding up the drying process.
3. Set up your fans – Regardless of which type of fan you decide to use, you’ll need to set it up first. Even if you’re only drying a small area, we suggest using the highest power setting to ensure the carpet dries thoroughly and quickly.
4. Use dehumidifiers to aid the process – Alongside having the windows open, we also recommend setting up some dehumidifiers to get rid of the moisture being put into the air by the fans. They can also help you ensure that the carpet is fully dry and won’t smell musty!

If you suspect your Carpet Padding is also wet Read our Guide: How to Dry Wet Carpet Padding

How many fans should you use?

This will largely depend on the size of the affected area and what kind of fan you’ll be using. For example, if you’re planning on using your ceiling fan you will probably only need that, with no additional desk/floor fans as ceiling fans are quite powerful.

If using regular desk/floor fans, we would recommend setting up on each end of the affected area, facing towards each other, especially if the carpet is relatively large. This will speed up the drying process and stop you from having to constantly move the fan to cover the whole area.

With industrial fans, it’s likely that you will only need one or two at most, even if the wet carpet is fairly large. This is because these fans are specifically designed to dry things like carpets, so they have a much stronger and efficient airflow.

Preventing future damage

Having wet carpets can cause some issues in the future, even if you dried them out relatively quickly. So, what can happen and how can you prevent it?

• Musty smell – Depending on how long your carpet remains wet, it may develop a bit of a musty smell even after being fully dried. This can happen for a range of reasons, including the material the carpet is made from and how much dust or dirt it’s collected over time. Try using some dehumidifiers during the drying process to prevent a smell from developing!

• Mold growth – If you act quickly enough, you may be able to avoid mold developing on or under your carpet altogether. However, if you can’t access a fan fast enough or it takes a while to dry the carpet completely, you run the risk of mold growth. To avoid this, try using a solution of vinegar and water on the area, then drying it out with your fans – vinegar kills mold!

How Much Do Industrial Fans Cost To Rent And Where Can I Rent Them?

Industrial fans can range in price from about $100 to over $300, depending on their size, power, and where you buy them from. You can also sometimes rent these fans for 24 to 48 hours – that should usually cost you no more than $100.

Many professional carpet cleaning companies will actually rent out industrial fans to their customers since drying wet carpets is a relatively easy task that usually doesn’t require professional involvement. You can also find these types of fans in DIY and hardware stores, or even online on sites like Amazon.

When To Call A Professional?

The majority of the time for small water leaks, you should be able to dry out your wet carpets completely by yourself, regardless of what type of fan you use.

The only time we recommend calling a professional is if there are large amounts of water and it has also soaked your underlay.

Also, you should contact a professional if the carpet is not drying after 24 hours as this can lead to mold growth, or simply if the affected area is too large to tackle.

We have Water Damage Restoration Technicians that can help Dry Out your Carpets and Prevent any Future Mold Growth.

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