Extraction is the cheapest drying there is. A truck-mounted unit removes far more water in an hour than days of air movers can, and every gallon taken out as liquid is a gallon the dehumidifiers never have to pull from the air. On almost every local job, the crew starts here.
Carpet, pad and hard floors
On carpet, technicians use weighted extraction tools that press into the pile and pull water from the pad underneath. Pad wet with clean water can sometimes stay; pad soaked with gray or black water is cut out. On tile, vinyl and sealed concrete, squeegee wands clear the surface, then meters check the grout and the slab below for water that already moved in.
Why speed changes the bill
Clean water picks up contamination as it sits, sliding from Category 1 to Category 2 within a day or two. It also wicks up drywall and into baseboards and cabinet toe kicks. The sooner extraction happens, the more material stays in place and the shorter the drying stage runs. That is why the response team treats every standing water call as urgent, 24/7.
