9 Important Clean-Up Steps To Do After The Flood!

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When hurricanes bring massive flooding, home damage can be extensive. If your home has flooded, it is critical to begin flood damage cleaning as quickly as possible. Even if you plan to call professional flood damage clean up services to help, start the process right away. You can reduce dame to the home damage and its belongings by following the 9 important flood damage clean up steps as soon as you can enter the house.

Make the House Safe - Before rushing in to start flood damage cleaning, make sure the house is safe for any work. Turn off electrical power to the house to prevent electrocution from working in a wet environment. Then go around the house and make sure the foundation is intact and safe to enter.
Ventilate the House - Go through the house and open all windows and doors to allow for good ventilation. Anyone doing flood damage clean up in the house should wear face masks to avoid inhaling mold, chemical fumes, and other potentially unhealthy substances. Once it is safe to turn the power back on, keep ventilation going by using window fans.
Know What to Throw Out - As painful as it can be, you must throw out all items that cannot or should not be cleaned for health reasons. Anything that can absorb and hold water and potentially grow mold should be discarded. Flood damage clean up services recommend that you remove and dispose of carpets and rugs, mattresses, box springs, pillows, things made from particle board that got wet, wet upholstered furniture, and anything that cannot be dried and disinfected.
Thoroughly Wash Salvageable Clothing - Clothing and household fabrics can usually be cleaned as long as flood damage cleaning begins before mold can grow in the fabric. Machine wash in hot water and include a 10-minute soak in detergent. Repeat if necessary to remove musty odors.
Expose and Remove Saturated Materials - After removing damaged items from the house, begin exposing hidden saturated areas like baseboards and under the flooring. Remove damaged materials so the house can dry completely. You should also include the removal of all drywall up to about 20 inches over the waterline and any vinyl or laminate flooring.
Clean and Disinfect - Flood damage clean up requires a lot of cleaning and disinfecting of the house and any items salvaged from the flood. Exposed wall studs and floors should be pressure washed with detergent, then flushed out. A disinfectant solution should be used afterwards in the house.
Treat to Prevent Mold - In addition to disinfecting, you must treat for mold to prevent its growth as everything begins to dry. Keep air circulating on, try to keep the temperature low, and use a fungicide made for this particular use to kill any mold that is present and prevent it from growing back.
Dry Everything Completely - Once all washing, disinfecting, and mold treatment has been completed, let everything dry completely before starting to rebuild. Although this could take days and possibly even weeks, it is critical that everything be dry. Continue to use fans to keep air moving throughout the house. Use a moisture meter to determine when it is safe to begin reconstructing damaged walls and floors.
Work With A Professional - Although you could handle many of these clean-up tasks yourself, the best recommendation, when the time comes to wash, treat, and dry the actual house itself is to hire professional services to help. Flood damage clean up services have the equipment and preparations needed to effectively clean and disinfect, treat for mold, then monitor moisture to give you the go-ahead to start rebuilding.

If your home has been damaged by high water, the flood damage clean up job you face could be daunting. Even if you start flood damage cleaning immediately, it is a race to stop more damage from occurring and prevent mold from taking over. Flood damage clean up services can get everything done faster and easier so you can restore your house as soon as possible!

Facing Flood Damage Cleaning In Conroe Texas?

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When water begins to rise unexpectedly inside a home, it is important to act fast to reduce the amount of sustained flood damage. A call to flood damage clean up services is essential; however, there are other things that homeowners should also do.

Whether the damage results from a broken pipe, an appliance hose rupture, or a natural disaster, those who follow the below tips can be sure the problem is cleaned up as quickly as possible and any damage is properly restored.

Consider Safety Issues First

Before starting clean up efforts, it is important to determine whether there are any health risks. Depending on where the water came from, it may contain bacteria and other harmful organisms. There could also be structural damage to the area or electrical concerns if wires or power cords were involved.

The best thing to do is contact flood damage pros to come and assess the damage as well as look for these and other safety concerns. They will determine whether there are any hazards present that must first be dealt with and when clean up efforts can begin.

Photograph the Damage

Once the area has been cleared for re-entry, photograph the affected area and any damaged items. Insurance companies need this information so there is an accurate account of the damage in order to reimburse for repairs and item replacement. This should be done quickly so that the actual clean up can begin before mold and mildew start to grow on surfaces.

Keep all invoices or documents provided by flood damage clean up services during the restoration so they can be submitted to the insurance company for payment or reimbursement.

Dry Everything Out

After photographing the situation, it is time to begin the hard work of removing affected items and getting the place dried out. Any standing water that remains should be pumped out; all wet and damaged items should be removed from the area. Depending on the severity of the flooding, homeowners may need to call flood damage clean up services for help. Professional water damage services use powerful suction and drying equipment to get the water out quickly and to begin drying all surfaces.

Repair Any Remaining Damage

Once everything has been effectively dried, homeowners can start making any necessary repairs. New carpeting or fixtures and any structural repairs can only be done once everything is completely dried out. If there is any mold or mildew present, flood damage services will treat the area to disinfect and sanitize. Other repairs can then be made to restore the home to its original condition.

The key to obtaining the best results when dealing with flood damage is to act fast to minimize permanent damage. Prevention of mold and mildew is a chief concern, as its growth can complicate drying and restoration efforts. Once the affected area is safe to enter and all damage is documented, handle flood damage by calling experienced flood damage clean up services to get things back to normal as quickly and easily as possible!

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