SALT LAKE CITY — Thanks to heavy snowfall and unseasonably warm temperatures, many Utah residents have experienced severe flooding and damage to their homes.

Many times, flood or drain water contains sewage or unknown chemicals and can be a health hazard if it contaminates carpet. Damage to clothing and other fabric can be a race against mildew.

However, according to Kathleen Riggs, a family and consumer sciences professor at Utah State University, though damage during flooding can be dangerous, it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Riggs gives seven tips for salvaging carpets and clothes after a flood:

Carpet

1. Get the carpet off the floor and start drying it to preserve the wood under the carpet. You might also have to remove foam carpet padding. If the carpet is too heavy to move, lift it off the floor and prop it up to air it out, though if the carpet dries this way, it may be out of shape.

2. Scrub the floor with hot water and detergent, then rinse it with a bleach solution of one-half cup of bleach per gallon of water.

3. Decide if the carpet can be saved. If it can, clean it. This decision may depend on the source of the water damage. With flood damage or a sewer backup, the main issue is sanitation, while rain may simply cause mildew. Most rented carpet cleaners can take care of the cleaning.

Clothes, blankets, rugs

1. Let everything air dry as soon as possible. Don’t leave wet clothes in a pile.

2. When they’re dry, brush off dirt or dried mud and store them in plastic bags if you can’t wash them immediately.

3. Soak the clothes in cold water or use the pre-rinse cycle on the washer to remove the rest of the dirt, then wash the clothes in hot water with detergent without packing the washer too tightly.

4. Wool and delicate items that don’t wash well in hot water can be dry-cleaned or hand-wash them in a basin of warm water, using one to two tablespoons of heavy duty liquid detergent. Let it soak for three minutes and rinse.

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