Water can cause a lot of damage in your home, and if your area has recently experienced a flood, there is bound to be some serious damage. It doesn't take a flood, however, to cause some problems inside your home; even an inch or so of water from heavy rains can do damage.
Here are some important tips for water damage restoration and cleaning that you can do yourself until you are able to hire a professional to help with repairs.
Disconnect The Power
The first step you need to take is making sure your home is safe to be in. This means, disconnecting the power leading to the areas that were affected by the water. There could still be standing water in the room or basement, and it's safer to shut the power off to do the cleaning than risk an electrical shock.
If there are any electronics in the room such as a TV, computer, lamps or other electronic items, you need to remove them right away. If the water didn't touch them, they should still be operable unless the water caused a short-circuit in the wiring to that room. You might want a professional to take a look at them to be sure they are safe to use.
Remove Furniture and Rugs
Your next step is to remove all furniture and rugs and anything that you can move out of the room. This includes storage containers and underpadding of your rugs. The floor needs to be completely clear so you can get the water up should there be any.
You will most likely have to throw away your underpadding and potentially your rugs if the flooding or water was bad enough. Check out your furniture to see how damaged it is. It might be able to be saved if the water wasn't too high.
Soak Up The Water
If the affected area still has water in it, it's time to soak it up. There are a few ways you can do this. You could use towels or a mop with a bucket to soak it up. This could take a while if you have a lot of water left, but if your home has no power, it will most likely be your only option.
If the rest of your house does have power, you could opt for a dry/wet vacuum. You could plug the vacuum into another room or part of the house, making sure the cord doesn't touch the water. This shouldn't be a problem if the water isn't too high or if you have a wireless handheld one.
If the water is high, then you could opt for a sump pump to soak up the water until there isn't much left, and then use mops or towels to finish it off.
Dry out the area once the water is gone by using regular fans and/or a dehumidifier.
Once you've taken these steps, contact a water damage restoration service.
