Flood is a natural disaster that arrives with great force, and leaves with even greater impact on our lives, our health, and our property. If your home happens to stand in a flood-prone area, then you already have quite an idea how far a flood can damage your home. But whether you are in a flood prone area or not, if flooding has been unexpected, and you have not made any pre-flood preparation such as evacuating important valuables, the damage can be more heart-wrenching. Not only will flood mean a loss of property investments (for instance, plasma TV, plush carpet, etc), it can also mean loss of items you hold close to your heart such old letters, family heirlooms, antiques, and paintings.
Most household materials, however, are potentially salvageable. This is where flood damage cleanup comes in prime importance as post-damage recovery and coping method.
Every flood damage cleanup should begin with making sure that your home is safe for entering. This means you should make sure no electricity is running inside your home. Turn off the main breaker of your home. Allow fresh air to ventilate your home by opening doors and windows. Don’t attempt flood damage cleanup without wearing any protective gear.
Every flood damage cleanup also begins with removal of standing water. Then it continues with washing, sanitizing, and disinfecting of contaminated areas of your home. Afterwards, it’s all about drying your home and correcting moisture and humidity level in your home.
Before doing flood damage cleanup, it is important that you should know not only how to wash, disinfect, and dry your home. You should learn how to properly handle damaged items in order to preserve them for future restoration process. You should know, for instance, how to handle flood-damaged books, photo prints, film negatives, and such. However, restoration of items of such kind would be best left to restoration experts. These items, when saturated with water, become extremely fragile.
When you get home and find some of your valued possessions floating in water, scoop them out. Place the items in dry container. Bring papers, photographs, films, and other such items to the nearest professional restoration service.
Do not, however, place photographs, reels, and films in dry containers. Instead, rinse them lightly with clean water, then put them inside a plastic bag or container with clean water.
Separate colored clothes soaked with water from white ones to avoid staining. Wash separately and hang to dry. If you can’t dry the clothes right away, wrap the clothes individually in plastic then freeze.
Flood may ruin the content of our home and pose potential risks. However, any damage done by flood can be limited and can be potentially repaired or restored. This is where timely flood damage cleanup plays a vital role. Not only is flood damage cleanup essential in increasing chances of restoration of water-damaged materials. Immediate flood damage cleanup can also limit structural damage. More importantly, it will prevent spawning of bacteria, viruses, molds, and mildews in your home.
James Farkenfur shares How To tips and other information for Flood Damage Cleanup Paramus NJ and Flood Damage Cleanup Rock Island IA
Article Source: Flood Damage Cleanup: How To Handle Water-Damaged Documents And Other House Items For Post-Flood Restoration
