Will Air Conditioner Help Dry Carpet? (Answered and Explained)

When it is raining or snowing, you cannot wash your carpet or rug easily. Even if you wash them, it will be difficult to dry them. But is it possible to dry the carpet using your air conditioner? Can your AC effectively dry the carpet in such extreme outside weather?

In this article, we will discuss whether you can dry a carpet with your air conditioner unit.

Will Air Conditioner Help Dry Carpet?

Air Conditioners can be used for drying the carpet since they have the potential to remove humidity from the surroundings. In our case, the water evaporated from the carpet forms the humidity. If you are living in an area where the weather is cold and rainy, then you have to use a combination of heat mode and cool mode in the AC to maximize the chances of drying the carpet quickly. If you are living in a hot and humid area, then you need to use cool mode with continuous high airflow. 

Now let us discuss how to use the AC effectively to dry the carpet faster. We have provided a solution for every major weather condition you may be experiencing. With this solution, you can dry the carpet easily.

Cold and Rainy Weather

When you are living in cold and rainy weather, naturally the humidity will be high in the atmosphere. Especially in rainy weather, you cannot expect low humidity. So, the carpet will not dry faster and it takes too long if you don’t properly set the AC.

AC removes the humidity in the surroundings. When there is too much humidity in the air, you need to bring in fresh dry air and you have to keep the thermostat at a very low temperature. 

But there are two major hurdles in bringing fresh air and setting low temperatures in the cold and rainy season. The fresh air from outside will also have high humidity and setting a low temperature leads to frosting of the evaporator. 

Also, during cold seasons, the compressor will shut down quickly since the desired temperature will be reached faster. So, most of the time, only the blower will be distributing air and the compressor will not turn on frequently.

Therefore, it is necessary to have an optimized AC temperature setting to combat this difficult situation. Here is what you can do:

• In this particular weather condition, you will need the help of both heat mode and cool mode. 
• If you have a separate heating system, it is well and good. Because you can run both systems to increase the drying speed.
• Set your AC in heat mode with temperatures more than 78⁰F and keep the airflow in high speed and continuous mode. This will expand the air to take up the wetness provided by the drying carpet.
• After running the AC in heat mode for an hour, turn on the cool mode and set it below 75⁰F with continuous airflow mode. This will aid in removing the excess humidity in the air caused by the drying carpet.
• Alternate between these modes periodically to get an efficient and effective drying of the carpet.

Hot and Dry Weather

In this weather condition, naturally, the atmosphere will be dry and you can dry a wet carpet easily. You will not need an AC, but using it can aid in the faster drying of the carpet. 

You have to keep the thermostat temperature considerably lower to remove the humidity effectively and at the same time, you have to bring in fresh dry air into the room for faster drying.

Also, running the AC at a very low-temperature setting will eventually frost the evaporator system and it will make condensation on the coils. So, when air flows through it, the humidity will be higher and it will not dry the carpet.

So, you have to optimize a setting in your AC to have the most effective drying of your wet carpet. Here is what you can do:

• Set your AC between 70⁰F and 75⁰F. Keep the airflow at maximum setting and let it blow continuously.
• You can also keep extra blowers or fans to maximize the airflow into the room.
• If you are drying a single carpet or a part of your room, then you can have faster drying.
• But if you are drying a large carpet area, then it is better to have extra blowers to maximize airflow and aid quick drying.

This is how you can make an AC to effectively dry a wet carpet. With these settings, you can quickly dry the carpet in all weather conditions.

How Long Does it Take for a Carpet to Dry?

Naturally, it may take more than 18 hours to dry a carpet passively. But, if you are trying to actively dry it with the help of an AC, then you can get it dry within 10 hours. 

The drying depends on several factors such as carpet size, material, thickness, and weather conditions.

If you are using the above-mentioned techniques with your AC, you can easily dry the carpet at any time of the year quicker than ever.

Despite the carpet size, thickness, and material, with an effective air conditioner placement, you can dry it efficiently. However these factors may affect the drying time even with the AC. 

Conclusion 

Drying a wet carpet can be challenging, especially in tough weather conditions. But with proper air conditioner settings, you can dry it out faster than you expect. The above-mentioned temperature settings will aid you in quick drying of your carpet and help you to use it sooner. Next time you want to wash a carpet in the rainy season, use these techniques to dry it soon.