A Guide to Professional Water Damage Restoration

6/26/2017 (Permalink)

A Guide to Professional Water Damage Restoration

Water in unwanted places can damage your valuable items. However, quick water cleanup can significantly minimize flood damage and possibly save some of your precious items. The extent of flood damage depends on the water damage restoration period. If water cleanup begins immediately, you can save some pieces of furniture or even a carpet. In most cases, any electronics hit by the flood is irreparable. Never treat water in unwanted places lightly. Even an inch of stagnant water in business premises can be a perfect breeding ground for mildew. Similarly, water in home facilities can damage your flooring, walls, carpet, and furniture. Before calling your insurance company, follow these few tips to guide you through the process of water damage mitigation.

Remove Items Out of Water

The faster you get items out of the water, the more likely you can protect them from water damage. Start by disconnecting the primary power source and unplug any electronics. Next, pull up any carpets and under-padding. You can save your carpet by disinfecting it. However, if it shrinks, you can use it as a rug someday.

Get rid of the Water

You can use power or manual flood damage restoration techniques to get rid of water in home facilities. Use mops and old towels to soak as much water as you can. If sewers in your neighborhood aren’t swollen, pour the water down the drain. If otherwise, pour the water onto your lawn. You may also use a wet or dry vacuum for water cleanup in business premises. However, you need to be cautious. Plug the vacuum cleaner into power sockets far away from the water. If floods are overwhelming, consider hiring a flood damage restoration company in your neighborhood. After mopping up all the water in the business premises, dry out the affected area. That is the most efficient way you can prevent mold growth.

Drying out the affected area

Once you get rid of all the water, use dehumidifiers and fans for drying out the affected area. Once it stops raining, open windows to allow air circulation. Drying out the affected area prevents mold growth. If some parts of your drywall contacted water, you would probably have to cut away the affected areas. Crumbled drywall can be a perfect breeding ground for mold. If your baseboard trim is wooden, it’s possible to save it. However, it might not be salvageable if it's made from pressboard.

Disinfect

After drying out the water in business premises, use a good disinfectant to kill any bacteria that might have come up through sewers. Don’t forget to clean any walls, wood, or furniture that contacted flood water in home facilities.

Dispose of the Damaged Items

You might be tempted to throw all damaged items into a dumpster. However, it would be wise to organize damaged items into piles and recycle the reusable ones. As such, you can alleviate the pressure on your local landfill site and ease water damage restoration process. You can visit your city’s waste management website to find out where you can recycle your toxic liquids, old paints, broken electronics, and furniture. Earth 911 can also help you find recycling centers and water damage mitigation professionals in your neighborhood.

Mitigation of Flood Damage

Use Plastic Storage Bins

If your business space is limited, use rubber and plastic bins for storage. Plastic and rubber containers are a cheap and clutter-free option for storage. It’s important to ensure your bins have tight tops to protect your goods from leaking water in business premises.

Put Items up High

Boxes and items can easily get destroyed once water in home facilities starts to rise. Use plastic or metallic shelves to store your valuable items. Solid wood shelves can also be a good option. Getting your stuff off the ground can help in mitigation of water damage in the future.

Water Cleanup

Basements often become a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes and mold. It is, therefore, important to take time at least once a year to thoroughly clean your basement and get random clutter and old clothes to the recycling bin.
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