Water Damage Cleanup
The most important thing to remember about water damage
cleanup is that water can contain harmful bacteria. If the water looks
dirty, there could be something wrong with it. Keep this in mind and
wear protective clothing.
Water damage cleanup can only take place after you stop the water from
entering the home.
If the water damage was caused from a broken pipe, roof leak or
flooding, make sure the proper repairs have been made before you start
cleaning up the water. If the water is leaking from a pipe, shut the
water off to the house. If the water is leaking from your roof, is it
possible to catch this water with large trash cans or buckets. Your
priority before doing the water damage cleanup, will be to stop the
water leaking if possible.
1. Most homeowners have a wet dry shop vac, this can be used to clean up
the water on the floor. The shop vac will not get all of the water or
enough of the water out of the carpeting, most of the time. Be extremely
careful with the extension cord when using any electrical equipment
around water. Do not let the shop that cord lay on the ground if it's
wet.
2. If the water damage is minor, you can always a mop or towels for the
water damage cleanup. If the water looks dirty, it could be unsafe and
you should wear protective clothing and rubber gloves. Try to avoid
direct contact with the water, just in case there's bacteria or other
harmful elements in the water.
3. After you've got most of the water up, it's time to start drying out
the area with a fan or blower of some sort. Any fans can be used as long
as you remember to handle the electrical equipment very carefully. If
you're going to set a fan down on something wet, you could always set it
on top of a piece of plywood, cardboard or plastic. I have even used
lawn blower's in situations like this when necessary. Remember avoid
contact between electrical equipment and moisture.
4. Your local rental yard, could have some equipment that you could rent
for a couple of days to help you with the water damage cleanup.
5. In this sounds like something that you're not comfortable with,
contact someone who is. You can click on some of the links on this page
for more help and advice.
If the water damage is severe, and by this I mean, if the flooring is
wet for longer than 24 hours, you should contact a professional water
removal contractor to prevent mold and mildew from creating a health
hazard in the home. Don't forget to call your homeowners insurance
company and find out how they can help resolve the problem.