Cleaning Up Your Home After Water Damage

2/9/2022 (Permalink)

Drying bedroom from water damage.

Water Restoration Process

While water is healthy to drink and useful for cleaning and bathing, it can cause devastating damage if you have to deal with broken pipes. Not only may you lose valuable and sentimental personal belongings before you begin water cleanup, but water damage can also render appliances useless, cause mold to grow and ruin sheetrock and insulation. The restoration process can be long and difficult, but following the five steps listed below can help make the process easier.

1. Remove remaining water. The longer standing water stays in your home, the more damage it can cause. It is important to remove any water as quickly as possible to allow the building to completely dry. Depending on how much water remains in your home, you can use any one of the following items to remove it:

• Sump pump
  
• Trash pump
  
• Wet vac
  
• Buckets
  
• Towels
  
  

2. Assess the damage. Once the water has been removed, you can see the extent of the damage. You may have to tear out carpet to remove mold, rip out sheetrock and replace it, and scrub multiple surfaces and materials to get rid of bacteria.

3. Remove mold and damaged materials. If water damage has caused mold to grow, it is important to remove the fungus as soon as possible. Evaporating moisture and treating the area with antifungal spray may help rid your home of mold.

4. Clean non-porous items. After removing any traces of mold, you can begin the final, most time-consuming stages of cleanup. Any items that do not absorb water, such as furniture, counters, toys, or storage containers, that came in contact with the water need to be scrubbed thoroughly with warm water and disinfectant to remove potentially-harmful germs.

5. Clean porous items. Items that may have absorbed water should be cleaned thoroughly to keep them from mildewing. Porous items may include anything from the following list:

• Curtains
  
• Stuffed animals
  
• Clothes
  
• Bedding
  
  

Dealing with water damage in Cele, TX  can be overwhelming, but following these five steps can make water cleanup easier. Broken pipes may be your worst nightmare, but the damage can be repaired with the right tools.