Rice on Wet Carpet: Does It Work?

You've probably heard someone recommend rice to soak up moisture from places it shouldn't be. From soaked phones to wet carpet, people will recommend rice to dry all sorts of things, but is it really as good as they say? In this post, we’ll discuss whether wet rice on carpet is a helpful hack or just another piece of carpet cleaning misinformation.

Why do people put rice on wet carpet?

Rice is very good at soaking up water – just think how much water you have to put in the pan to cook it. The logic applied by many people is that rice will therefore absorb the moisture from other places. However, you may want to think twice before trying this for yourself.

Why shouldn't you use rice on wet carpet?

Rice attracts pests

Rice doesn't instantly absorb all the moisture from your carpet, so you would need to leave it there for a few hours. In that time, mites, moths, silverfish and ants will smell the starchy snack and make a beeline for your carpet. These creatures lay eggs and breed incredibly fast, leaving you with much bigger problems than a wet carpet.

It's messy

Once you pour rice onto your carpet, it doesn't magically tidy itself up - you then have to deal with picking up hundreds of mushy grains. Due to its size, it can block or damage vacuum cleaners, so you need to find a manual way to tidy it up. The starch that coats rice also spreads into surrounding water, leaving a sticky coating on your carpet.

Wet rice expands

When rice absorbs moisture, it expands to up to three times its size. This makes it harder to clean up, as it is even more likely to block a vacuum than dry rice.

Wasting food

We can't grow rice in the UK, so most of our rice has travelled a long distance to get to our kitchens. Using rice on wet carpet wastes these emissions and your money. There are so many alternative methods that are cheaper both financially and environmentally.

Alternative methods

Baking soda

Your kitchen cupboard is likely to contain a much more helpful product – baking soda. This powder soaks up the moisture and can then be vacuumed up afterwards.

Towels

Both paper and cloth towels are a better solution than rice. Gently press towels into the wet area, making sure that you regularly change them and don't leave wet towels on your carpet for too long.

Dehumidifiers

Once you have soaked up as much as you can, shutting the door and using a dehumidifier is an easy way to collect water from wet carpet. Many dehumidifiers also have a setting that warms the room, encouraging the water to evaporate faster.

Hire a professional carpet cleaner

For a hassle-free solution to a wet carpet, hire a professional. Instead of leaving you with the starchy mess of rice on wet carpet, a professional carpet cleaner takes care of everything. The National Carpet Cleaning Association directory is full of insured, experienced cleaners all over the UK that can dry your carpet for you.

Search our carpet cleaner directory to take the first step towards a clean, dry carpet.