How To Clean Up a Water Damaged Home

When water enters unwanted places like our homes, it can be a serious pain to the homeowner. It can cause a lot of damage and ruin your prized possessions. However, you can minimize the damages and save some of your household possessions if you act quickly. Water damage and restoration is an important skill that a team of professional cleaners is able to offer. It involves the professionals going into a home affected by water disasters such as floods and burst pipes and restoring the home back to its pre-loss condition. In this guide, I will show you how to clean up a water damaged home before professionals arrive.

Stop the flow of water

First and foremost, shut off the main water line in your home if the flooding was caused by a burst pipe. After that, turn off the power system and remove all items out of the water's way. You are more likely to save the items when you move them much faster from the water. Get in touch with a professional and tell them where the water is coming from.

Get rid of standing water

Getting rid of all the water and drying the area is very important in preventing the growth of molds. When water continues sitting there, it is more likely to cause a lot of damage. Therefore, you should pump out any standing water. Be sure to wear protective gear like gloves and gumboots when working in a flooded area and keep children as well as pets away from the standing water.

Dry out the area

After you have got rid of all the water standing, dry out the area using a dehumidifier. Fans can only be used if the molds have not started growing since they spread mold spores to other areas. For the area to dry faster, open windows to allow air circulation which promotes faster drying. When everything has dried out, you should use disinfectants to disinfect all the areas that have been affected by the flood waters.

Dispose of the damaged items

You should make a list of all your damaged property and call your insurance agent before you begin the cleanup process. Let them know where you are disposing the damaged items and ask if you need to keep samples. When you use the services of a professional water damage restoration company, they will document for you the materials that have been affected and also determine their proper value of all the materials lost.