Flood Damage Restoration Tips And Tricks

Spring is a wet time of year and whether you are dealing with excess thunderstorms in your area or a lot of snow melt run-off, it’s likely that your home or business may have to handle a little extra water. This can also be an extremely frustrating and very damaging time of year because water is often difficult to control or route properly through city drainage. If you have recently experienced a lot of water in your home or business, you are going to need help with flood damage restoration.

It is often wise to consult a professional company when in need of flood damage restoration. However, there are many cost-effective things you can do on your own to save time and money. Often if you tackle the problem sooner than later, it will help minimize long-term damage, mold development, or other structural defects that can occur when water is involved. If you decide to do flood damage restoration on your own, there are a number of things you will want to keep in mind.

It is very important that you choose the equipment carefully for your flood damage restoration. Use a low-temperature dehumidifier in order to dry out your basement with humidity levels less than 50%. This will help ensure that mold and mildew does not have a chance to grow. Your dehumidifier should have an air blower or dryer and an air purifier. However, some machines do not come with these, so you may have to buy or rent additional equipment. Air purifiers help ensure that your home is free of viruses, fungi, mold spores, and other microbacteria after the flooding. Water carries a surprisingly large amount of microorganisms. Lastly, you will need a steam cleaner that uses vapor technology to further kill any remaining mold or dust mites. Steam cleaners also disinfect and deodorize, which is helpful for people with allergies.

Lastly, there are a few basic things to keep in mind when entering your home or business after extensive flooding. Your flood damage restoration process starts with care and evaluation. Wear rubber boots and gloves if there is still standing water in your home. Be sure to turn off all electricity at the breaker box and move all appliances and cords off the ground. Boil all drinking water. Don’t hesitate to throw out certain articles that have been damaged and will be beyond repair. These articles may include rugs, particle board furniture, mattresses, food, suitcases, photos, and books. Many of your appliances that have been damaged will be cheaper to replace than repair. Wash and dry everything that will fit in your washing machine and dry clean everything else. Clean all surfaces; even those not directly affected by flood waters.

One of the biggest steps in restoration involves checking the property for structural damage. For this step, it may be wise to consult a professional company to remove the drywall and insulation in order to inspect beams and walls for mold development.