If your house has flooded, your personal belongings, the structure of your home, and the health of your household become at risk. Everything from carpets, furniture, appliances, and walls to heating and air conditioning systems, sewage, roofing, utilities, and subject to water damage restoration.
There are a lot of steps to go through to get your home clean and safe for your family again. Here are the steps for what you should do following a flood.
#1: Call your insurance agent
You need to find out how much of the damage your insurance will cover. They’ll let you know what they will do and what you need to do. It’s often necessary to make a list of what was damaged and to take photos or make a video of the flooded area. This will also be helpful for receiving income tax reductions and to apply for disaster assistance.
#2: Get the mud shovelled or hosed out of the area
A lot of mud may have built up in the flooded area, and you should try to get this out as soon as possible. Shovel out whatever you can, and spray a garden hose on the mud that has hardened on surfaces already.
#3: Disinfect all surfaces
First get out a strong cleaning product and hot water to scrub the surfaces with, making them clean. The actual disinfecting is the next step, which is to use one quarter-cup of chlorine bleach per gallon water on the cleaned surfaces.
#4: Take out of the home all furniture and everything made of fabric material
All furniture, carpets, clothing, rugs, and bedding should be taken out of the home quickly so they can dry. Some of these items will be unusable afterwards or will have to be cleaned by a professional. For example, you should not use your bed mattress anymore if it was hit by the flooding. Upholstery, which will have soaked up contaminants that cannot easily be removed, and carpet may have to be taken to professional carpet cleaners so they can be properly restored. If you cannot remove your carpet, use a wet/dry vacuum to dry it quickly. Professional carpet cleaners can take it from there.
#5: Deal with mold and mildew carefully
If you notice that mold has developed already in your home, if possible take the moldy items out of your home to shake off the mold spores, so the spores won’t get into the inside air. To get rid of mildew, vacuum all surfaces then use a disinfectant.
If you require water damage restoration in Tri Cities WA, contact Continental Carpet today.