How Does The Water Damage Restoration Process Work? To-Do Check List
By: John Garcia | Date Posted: March 22, 2022
Table of Contents
Going through floods is stressful itself, however, we must think about what we are going to do once the flood water recedes. Once the flood water recedes and all the necessary environmental cleaning has been done to a certain extent, even though it usually takes much longer for the cleaning process to be done, then it is high time for people to be back to their homes and to start rebuilding their property.
You must be aware that most things are terminally damaged, but let us start from the top. The material that usually is completely destroyed is wood which absorbs too much water.
Another problem that arises is repairing your home too quickly so that you face some issues such as mold growth, deterioration of walls and wood surfaces, and insect infestations. Hence, here is a detailed guide on how to rebuild your home after water damage.
Be Cautious!
Before you start rebuilding your home, inspect the structural and electrical damages first from the outside, then from the inside, and make sure that your life would not be endangered during the process.
Secondly, water and electricity are a dangerous couple so check the installations to avoid fire hazards and gas leaks. The safest option is to use battery-powered light sources.
Another precaution is to never mix chlorine bleach with some other chemicals such as vinegar and ammonia, and in this line, the smartest option for you is to hire the repair liquid damage teams to handle the chemical and deep cleaning of your home.
On the other hand, if you decide to undertake the initial steps, make sure that you are wearing rubber gloves, sturdy shoes, a face mask, and eye protection.
Insect infestations are quite common during floodings so be watchful for pests, fire ants, snakes, and some other animals. Just like insect infestations, mold is also very common during flooding, so it is important for you to set the respirator that will filter all the fungi spores.
Electrical Systems
As we have already mentioned, water and electricity are a very dangerous combination. Make sure to turn off the electricity before entering your premises after the flood.
Since electric installations are quite dangerous if not handled as they should, it is the safest option for you to consult the electrician and have them check the grounds, and all the other unsafe conditions before you start working on your home repair.
Additionally, if there are some terminal damages to the electricity system, it is crucial to replace them to avoid fire hazards and some serious damage to the electrical network.
Furnishing and Carpets
Speaking of the furnishings and carpets, it is important to say that if the damages and decorations are serious, then it is not worth repairing them.
The first thing you should do is to remove all the furniture, carpets, and bedding and take them out so that they could be dried and well cleaned. Flooded carpets and rugs should not be cleaned by replacing instead because water may contain contaminants that can be a possible source of infections.
If the conditions at your home allow, it would be best for you to remove your carpeting and rugs from your home within the first 48 hours after the flood subsides. On the other hand, if you decide to keep your carpets, then you should take them off and choose the debris.
Use the carpet shampoo and broom to make the shampoo penetrate deeply into the carpet. To sanitize, you can add a couple of bleach drops if your carpet is color solid, and if the carpet is made of wool, then do not add bleach.
Speaking of the furniture, if the furniture is too drenched and stained, then it must be discarded. On the other hand, if the piece of furniture is valuable, you should try to clean it with products suitable for the material you want to clean.
If the stuffing or mattresses are too damaged, they should be replaced while all the other parts can be cleaned and restored. Furniture made of solid wood, metal, and plastic can be cleaned and reused.
There is not much to do, you should wash off all the debris such as mud. If pressure needs to be applied, then it would be best to use the brush to remove the stains. Do not forget to sanitize.
There is a whole variety of different sanitizers and make sure you are using the one that is good for the fabrics of your furniture.
Walls
It is mandatory to take immediate care of your walls once your home is free of water so that you can prevent odor, mold, and structural decay. The first step is to remove all the water from your home as soon as possible and ventilate it.
If you have uninsulated walls in your home, then you should cut holes to drain them or to cut them above the water level. If the panels are not too damaged, then you can pop them open and reinstall them once you are done with the cleaning.
It is important to remove mud and if you have solid walls in your home then you can wash them with a cleaning product and sanitize them. The best sanitizer for walls is bleach where you should use a cup of bleach per gallon of water so that all the mold and fungi spores are killed.
If you want to speed up, dry your home with dehumidifiers and fans and ventilate it so that the odor is prevented. Leave your home open so that the walls are thoroughly dried. This process may take up to a month.
Depending on the type of flood, post-flood restoration is a lengthy procedure that can cost a lot of money and necessitate extensive reconstruction.
If the flooding was only localized, such as a bathroom water leak, you should remove the carpets and replace them with new ones since the leaking water generally contains impurities that can be a source of infection.
Thank you for reading!
