Carpet Cleaning
Should You Open Windows After Carpet Cleaning?
DanRichard | Jul 28, 2021
After professional Tampa carpet cleaning, it’s normal for your carpet to feel damp. As you wait for your carpet to dry, you’re probably wondering if opening your windows will help. This is a common question, and the answer does depend on a few factors.
Should You Open Windows After Carpet Cleaning?
The carpet cleaning itself often takes about 20 minutes per room, but it’ll take a lot longer for your carpet to dry. We recommend that you limit access into the room while the carpet is still drying.
Open the Windows
Ultimately, opening the windows will indeed help reduce the drying time. That’s because you’ll have fresh air moving through the room. Just make sure that you open one or two windows at the opposite ends of the room to get a breeze going and improve the airflow.
Opening the windows can also help freshen up your carpets and reduce any smells from chemicals used in the cleaning process. It will help you clear up any musty smells that come with damp carpet fibers, and does wonders for clearing out dust too.
Before you open up those windows, take a second to consider a few factors first. In some cases, it may be better to set up some fans or turn on the AC instead.
- Is it Hot and Humid Outside?
When it’s really hot outside, hold off on opening up the windows. While it can still be helpful for getting rid of the musty smell of drying carpet fibers, your carpet won’t dry well if you don’t have a great breeze and if it’s too warm.
In this case, you’ll want to turn up your air conditioning and set up some fans to keep the air cool. This will work a little better than opening windows on hot days. We do provide air movers, also known as commercial floor fans, to help speed up your carpet drying process. If you’d like to use our air movers for up to 24 hours, you can do so for a minimal additional fee.
- Is it Cold and Rainy Outside?
On days like this, it’s not a great idea to open the windows. Instead, you should turn on the heat to help the water in your carpeting evaporate, speeding up the drying process.
If the temperature outside is below 52 degrees, set your HVAC system to a minimum of 75 degrees and leave it running for a few hours.
If the temperature outside is between 55 and 70 degrees, set the heat to 80 degrees and leave it running for one hour. Then, alternate with the air conditioner at 70 degrees for another one hour. Follow this alternating pattern between heat and AC modes for 6 to 8 hours to dry your carpet thoroughly.
When to Open the Windows?
You’ll want to open your windows when the weather conditions are right. This means that there should be a breeze going outside, and it shouldn’t be so hot or cold that your carpeting won’t actually end up dry.
Try to pick a warmer day, or a dryer day in the summer. This will give you the option to let the open windows help dry your carpets instead of using your heating and electricity, although we still recommend your HVAC system as a crucial tool for drying your carpet.
How Long Does It Take to Dry?
Cleaning your carpet involves a method of hot water extraction, or steam cleaning. This is what leaves your carpeting damp even after the cleaning is done. Just leaving your carpeting to dry will take about up to 24 hours on its own, but you can speed this process up if you don’t want to wait too long to set foot on your carpet.
We recommend that full drying takes place within 6 to 8 hours, with help from your HVAC system.
In the end, you’ll be able to step on the carpet comfortably after a full 24 hours. If you really need to walk across the carpet, make sure that you’re wearing a clean pair of socks and no shoes from the outside.
You should also wait the full 24 hours until you put all of your furniture back. It’s inconvenient, but this will ensure that you don’t embed any dirt or dust into the damp carpet.
Conclusion
It’s satisfying to have your carpet cleaned and to see how good it looks again. Having to wait until your carpet is dry is only a small and temporary inconvenience in exchange for it. With the right weather, you may open your windows to help speed up the drying time but turn on the heat or AC for the fastest and most effective drying.
