Dealing with Residential Flooding Savings Guide
When your home experiences flood damage, the water can wreak havoc on the structure of your house, your belongings and the overall health of the interior environment. Flood waters often contain harmful contaminants and lots of mud. Expensive items can become completely ruined with just an inch or two of water. Carpeting, drywall, appliances and furniture are often damaged beyond repair when unwanted water enters your home.
Following a flood, the clean up process is long and difficult. Many homeowners are so shocked by what has happened that they fail to take quick action. If you have experienced a significant amoutn of water damage in your home, it is imperative that you take immediate action in order to minimize the damage and save as much as you can.
The first thing you should do is contact your insurance agent. If you are covered for flood damage, he/she will tell you what steps must be taken. Make a list of your damages and be sure to take photos and video footage that will all come in handy when it comes time to file the actual claim. You now need to get busy pumping out the standing water with a sump pump and remove any wet carpeting. If upholstered furniture was involved, it is often best to throw it away as it is nearly impossible to completely dry thick upholstery before mold and mildew begins to grown. Wood veneer furniture is normally not worth saving, so if it was involved-throw it away. Solid wood furniture can typically be restored unless it was left standing in water for many hours.
If drywall was involved in the flood, it is best to remove the affected sections by simply cutting it away with a reciprocating saw and replacing it with new drywall. Fiberglass insulation batts that have become soaked should be replaced since it tends to hold moisture. Blown-in cellulose insulation also should be replaced for the same reason but if the insulation consists of styrofoam, this needs only to be hosed off. Hire a heavy duty dehumidifier from a nearby rental center and place it in a central location and set run it on ‘high’. Do not be tempted to crank the heat up in the affected rooms as this will encourage the growth of dangerous and destructive mold and mildew. You only have a two day window before mold begins to grow, so you want to completely eliminate any and all possible breeding grounds. The dehumidifier, if left on for two or three days should dry out the area so that you can begin to disinfect in a couple of days.
