Flooding is the last thing any homeowner wants to deal with as it is a serious pain and also causes substantial damage to the home it affects. When you are dealing with or want to be prepared for flood damage in the future, you need as much knowledge as possible to respond correctly.
We have dealt with enough water removal and flood restoration to know some of the best ways to recover from flood damage. Let’s first understand the importance of acting fact before looking into tips for recovery.
The Importance of Fast Action
Flooding is something that can occur over the process of seconds or hours. This large range of ways it can impact your home means that you need to be ready to act fast no matter how long the flooding takes. Fast action is going to be your best defense from having to deal with substantial damage control later on.
The second you notice your home is flooding, you need to take action to ensure your home is back to a safe state. This may seem like a hard decision to make, but when you know what to do first you will take action immediately. If you take fast action, you can avoid having to deal with many of these flood damage symptoms and will be relieved you at least tried something.
Recovering From Flood Damage in Richmond
Get Rid of Standing Water
Depending on how severe the flooding was, you will need to use best judgement when deciding how to deal with the water. If the water is over a foot high and in a compromised area, you obviously should not be in there with a bucket trying to remove the water.
Whenever possible, using basic tools like a mop or special vacuum will allow you to start to get rid of the standing water. In many cases, most of the damage can be prevented when you take the action and time to get rid of standing water as fast as possible.
Dry Furniture
Many people often fail to realize that water can have some serious effects on your home furniture if you aren’t careful. Everything from your chair legs to rugs can all be affected by the water in a wide array of ways and need to be dried out in a safe way.
Drying furniture is something that can be done in different ways depending on the time of year as well. If it is not too cold or humid outside, it is often advised to let some fresh air in to try and dry what you can’t easily access. Smaller items like rugs and anything that was on the floor should try to be taken out of any puddles and moved to an area where they can be dried easier.
Be Careful of Hazardous Water
Many people are eager to get rid of any water in their home as soon as possible to prevent damage. While this is certainly the right attitude, going into unknown water conditions with even something like a mop could possess a serious health to your threat. Until it is known what is actually in the water, you should avoid making any substantial contact with the water if it is dirty.
Your best bet will be to call a water clean up team to come out and help with removing the water. These teams are specially trained and know the best ways to deal with all types of water floods.
Reach Out to a Restoration Company
In most cases, a restoration team should be the first call you make as long as everyone is safe and the home is not in danger of collapsing, a restoration team will help you by coming out and dealing with the water.
These teams are trained in not only removing the water, but they also make sure that things can be restored and brought back to normal.
Identify Mold
A few days after the restoration team has cleaned up the water, it is often smart to just do another check to look for any standing water. While water on the flood or in obvious places should be noticeable, you will often find hidden water to be the most dangerous.
Water from a flood that is let sit and not cleaned up is what causes mold to build up in your house. Mold is not only a sore sight to the eyes, but it is also very dangerous to your health and is bad for breathing. If you find any mold, call out the restoration team again to make sure it is gone for good.
Ensure Proper Cleaning
Along with looking for any traces of mold around the flooded area, there is still some additional cleaning you may want to do in the area. Most flood damage involves having to replace some floor or wall elements depending on the size and location of the flood area.
Failing to look for and resolve any cleaning issues will not only make you home look bad, but it could mean that there are structural issues not being addressed. You will want to be thorough with your cleaning so your home is back in a safe and comfortable condition.
Assess and Resolve Damage Costs
Your last step with nearly any home damage is to make sure you can get some help with your insurance. Many people think insurance is the first place to call when a flood happens, but getting the water removed with a restoration team is much more important.
With documented damages and costs for restoration, reach out to your insurance company for financial support. You may not be able to get full coverage for the flood depending on your provider and cause of flooding, but it is always worth it to make the call.
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