As its name suggests, Moisture Barrier Carpet Padding is designed to keep potential leaks from spreading beyond your carpet lining and to keep moisture from seeping through the carpet padding itself, which can create an unwanted environment in which bacteria and mold can grow. This kind of carpet padding is especially alluring to residents with fear of or proactive attitude toward plumbing issues, basement leaks and/or pets that have not yet been house trained.

Moisture Barrier Carpet Padding is an excellent idea in theory; however, it needs to be installed carefully and correctly in order to be effective. During the installation process, your carpet specialists must completely forgo the use of staples—which can seem counterintuitive to the installer because staples are used in stabilizing typical carpet padding. Instead, the installer must glue down the padding evenly, and then use water-resistant tape to secure the edges of the padding to the floor. The use of tape is particularly important when securing the padding at the base of a wall because it seals the padding and creates a “moisture barrier”—the padding’s namesake.

If the carpet is not installed properly, a slew of problems can arise, potentially landing you in a situation worse than the one you were in before. Particularly in the case of shallow floods, the water will settle into a “crack” or open space in the lining of the padding and seep underneath it if the padding was not accurately installed. Touching the top of the carpet may not necessarily provide indication that pent-up moisture still exists inside the carpet, so that left-over moisture can harbor mold and mildew, creating a range of health risks from mild allergies to long-term respiratory problems. The only way to successfully remove the excess water (and, therefore, mold) at this point is to completely rip up the padding, clean the floor beneath it and replace the padding—which would completely defeat the purpose of purchasing Moisture Barrier Carpet Padding in the first place.

For those Moisture Barrier Pad owners with pets: The barrier in this padding (when installed correctly) is designed to keep pet urine from soaking through the padding, which means that the urine itself will rest on top of the padding, at the surface of the carpet, waiting to be cleaned. Again, if the padding has not been appropriately installed, there is a risk that the pet urine will fester beneath the padding. It may not necessarily cause mold, but it will cause a number of potentially dangerous bacteria to grow in your carpet, not to mention permeate the strong, pervasive odor of urine throughout your home.

Even when installed correctly though, Moisture Barrier Padding may not be able to satisfy a pet owner’s needs. If the urine is not thoroughly cleaned up from the surface of the carpet, there is still room for bacteria to pool and multiply between the padding and the carpet itself. Even if you believe that the Moisture Barrier Carpet Padding is worth the investment, it’s still best to call Aqualux Carpet Cleaning to come clean your carpets regularly. Frequent cleanings keep your carpet fresh and bacteria-free. We use hot water extraction and our unique, brand-exclusive sanitizing solution to clean and disinfect your carpet at an affordable rate. Check out our monthly specials here!