Flood water normally brings with it mud and silt that settles to the bottom once the water is left unattended for a long period of time. To prevent the continuous damage the water and these organic substances evoke on the structural bearings of your home and personal health, immediately removing the water and stopping its cause should be your main priority.
Before implementing actual procedures concerning water damage restoration determine where the water came from especially if there is no rain or occurrence of flood in your area. The cause may be due to a burst or leaking water pipe or it could be due to sewage backflows. Whatever the source of the flood, putting a stop to the water coming in the house is of utmost priority.
After being able to fix the source of flood, a water damage restoration process primarily starts with the assessment of the damage costs. This is essential for you to do because if your insurance provides for such claims then you can file for one that would ease your concerns of money regarding the water damage restoration services you will engage or would be doing yourself.
The next step that you should do is to get yourself a wet vacuum pump or submersible water pump so that you could efficiently extract water with. Ordinary vacuums meant for cleaning and sucking up dust must not be used since they were not manufactured for the purpose of removing flood water in a water damage restoration activity.
Extract water from your house with absolute care and proper pacing. Water which is several feet high must be removed by two or three feet a day and not much more to avoid external pressures from the environment that may cause cracks on ceilings, walls and floors. When the water has been successfully removed, it is time to move out all the items that were affected and contaminated out of the house and into a dry location.
Brush all affected areas and surfaces with warm soapy water and rinse by using clean water. All excess drips and spills should be mopped up or sucked out by using the wet vacuum pump. Disinfect the entire area with a solution made of one-fourth cup chlorine bleach and one gallon of water or any commercial disinfectant; just follow the manufacturer’s direction on how it should be applied. Remember to open all air passage ways and vents when applying disinfectant solutions made of chlorine bleach to ease on the fumes. And never mix chlorine bleach with other cleaning chemicals that contain ammonia since the combination would produce deadly fumes that is hazardous.
Start the drying process of a water damage restoration activity by putting in fans to circulate the air. Turn on dehumidifiers to absorb moisture. An air filter could also be used to help absorb any lingering foul smell. The process of water damage restoration necessitates also that all affected items should be properly cleaned, dried and disinfected. However, for appliances, furniture and fixture that cannot be restored due to total damage must be included in the next garbage disposal schedule. For a water damage restoration procedure to be effective, everything must be thoroughly dried before being used again for health and safety reasons.
Chris Blastoyout is an article writer for Water Damage Alexandria, VA and Water Damage Restoration
