Water, whether from a pipe in the wall, or rising water from rain and flooding can cause immense damage to a home. With the right steps and quick action the damage can can be minimized, allowing you to save some of your belongings. Water in your home is not to be treated lightly, as it creates the perfect environment for mold to develop and can affect your walls, furniture, carpet and lead to poor in home air quality conditions. If the water is coming from a burst or leaking pipe in the home you should immediately shut off the water to the house and call a plumber. Preventing these kinds of conditions are vital to keeping your home and air clean and healthy. In addition to calling your Insurance agent you will want to take a few steps to help beginning to repair the damage.
1. Disconnect the power, unplug any electronics, and place any movable items up and out of the waters reach. The faster you can asses the waters level and determine that it is a threat to your belongings the quicker you can take action to start saving your property. Turn off your power, especially if water is rising near the level of the outlets, remove all of your electronics and remove your carpet and under padding.
2. Get rid of the water. If you are without electricity there are still methods to remove water from the home. Soaking the water up with old towels, buckets and mops are a tested method for removing water from your home. As long as your neighborhoods sewers aren’t backed up you can pour the water your bilge down the drain, or into your lawn. A wet/dry vacuum can also be used however use caution when mixing electricity with water.
3. Dry out the affected area. Once the water has been removed use fans and a dehumidifier to help dry out the area. If possible, open the windows and allow air to flow through the home to dry out faster. The sooner you get the area dry the less chance there becomes for mold to begin taking root.
4. Disinfect the area and keeping it moisture free. After the affected areas are dry you will want to use a good disinfectant that can destroy and bacteria that might have settled on your walls, furniture, or other items. After the area is clean you still need to be wary of mold and spores that are already taking hold. There are commercial non-toxic products that you can spray as a fine powder over the area and let it sit overnight as it removes and mold that may have begun taking root.
Whenever your home has been affected be sure to contact your agent right away so the rebuilding process can begin and help get your home and life back to normal.
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I wash my windows with Norwex cloths and only water. They sparkle they are so clean.
I had a miniature flood in my living room last summer and going about clean up was messy. Using these tips next time (hopefully there’s no next time) will make the process much easier and less stressful. Remembering to keep the area dry for as long as possible before the water spreads, like you said, will help prevent mold! Thanks for the info!
My basement has been flooded recently, and when I first saw my room I had no idea what to do. I took everything outside and it’s drying now… Thanks for the valuable advice, I didn’t think of disinfecting the area. I will talk to my landlord about this!
Nice post, this is a useful tips for every home owners.
Great tips. I hired a professional to help with my water damage. I couldn’t have imagined doing it myself.
this really is a tough job, I do not think I can do it. I was afraid to clean everything with water. maybe I should hire a professional company to do.
Thanks for the tips on getting rid of the water. Our basement just flooded and its a little overwhelming looking at all the water! This page may literally save our floor! How soon until its safe to plug our electronics back in?
I would agree that unplugging your electronics when working with any water damage is a very good idea. That is smart to dry all of the infected areas, to keep moisture out. Thank you for sharing the importance of caring for your water damaged home right away!
Thanks so much for these tips! In the wet Washington mid-winter, I had a pipe burst. We couldn’t open the windows because it would let in more water. It felt like we were flooding inside and out. Unfortunately, I think that there’s a step 5 you could add to the list—removing ruined furniture and belongings. It’s one thing to get rid of your things, it’s another to drag their soggy remains out of your house. Tough stuff, but these tips help keep the casualty count low. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the help. I had a friend whose house flooded recently and I am trying to help him know how to handle it. I hadn’t entirely thought to disinfect the whole area. Would that be about the safest way to fight the growth of mold?
You were right on with your first tip here. Making sure to minimize the chance of electrical problems is essential before you start to get rid of the water. Go through each of these steps asap, and hopefully you won’t have any mold issues to deal with afterwards.
This is a great article. So many people don’t know what to do when a disaster like this happens.
There have been a few reports of flash floods that might hit my area this spring, so these tips seem important for me to know in case I find that my basement has been flooded. Disconnecting the power from any electronics and moving them to a higher location seems like good advice. I keep a lot of electronics in my basement that I don’t use very often, so I’ll move them to a place where the water won’t reach them in case of any flash floods. Thanks for the tips!
I agree you should take safety precautions and unplug all electrical units nearby. When our basement flooded it was a disaster. Luckily we were able to save and restore most of our furniture and other items.
Hey WKI, Great post. These tips will definitely help many people. Cleaning your home after water damage is very essential. Water damage can destroy your property.
If you have suffered a water damage in your house there are a number of considerations to make in dealing with the water damage restoration.
I agree that you should disconnect the power and unplug any electronics where there is water damage. I think that helps reduce the risk of shock. It is very smart to unplug everything.
My house had a water pipe burst, which led to my basement flooding. We have drained the water, but we need some restoration work done. The carpet for one is not something that’s just going to dry out. I might actually need to get a professionals help to get it completely moisture free.
Water damage is a huge issue just because once it gets in there are very few things it won’t ruin. I like that you mention getting rid of the water. It would make sense because the water needs to get out of the house so that there isn’t more damage going on.
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There was a storm last week where I own a vacation home. I found out that my home flooded and there is now water damage in the house. I tried to get all the water out and dry everything as soon as I could. However, now the restoration process has to start and I’m not sure how long it will take. Thanks for the advice!
It is really difficult to get this kind of with useful information. I am hoping the same top-quality blog post from you in the upcoming days as well. Thank you for the useful ideas you have shared in this information.
I know it may seem obvious, but I never really thought about moving the electronics. It is probably because the last time my place flooded, we were still in the process of building it, so it was fairly empty. Our strategy was to bucket the water down another drain. Luckily, it helped clear it out relatively fast.
Great tips! I’m going to share this with my friends at http://www.rmraz.com/
I really like your advice to disinfect the area and keep it moisture free. I think that many people forget that is important to do whenever you are moving. Do you have any tips about getting help, even if you don’t have water damage in your home? I just want my furniture to be moved with out breaking my own back.
At this point I think we need a home disaster restoration team, but any help would be great. There was a huge storm and there are tons of damage, including lots of water everywhere. Thanks for pointing out that we need to dry it out asap. We’ll get some fans on it until we get the professionals to get it cleaned up right. Thanks.
It’s a really good idea to turn off power and take away electronics during a flood. My home recently had a pipe burst. We did take the electronics away, but we have water damage now. I need to find someone who can restore our house to what it was.
I think we have to call a pro, we just got a small area wet. Is this covered under my insurance?
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Great article! This is really a must-read since people who are in a state of shock due to own property water damage could have no presence of mind during the aftermath. It is good to have these guides in mind. Thank you.
I like the tip you give on using towels to mop up water if electricity isn’t available in your home. My house recently flooded and almost my entire basement has been damaged by water. I don’t know how to repair this damage, nor do I have time to do it myself. I think I am going to need to look into someone to come and help me get my basement back in working condition.
Thank you for your positive comments.
Bryan Spahn with Westerholm-Koehler Insurance
Great tips and post! thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tips on getting rid of the water. I have read few more things about the Water Damage Restoration And Repair In a blog (http://tomswaterdamage.com.au/6-tips-water-damage-restoration-repair/) which are mention in below.
1. Move Valuable Belongings
2. Do Not Switch On Electric Power
3. Wear Gloves And Masks
4.Remove The Water Manually
It really helped when you said that disconnecting the power lines and unplugging all electronics will prevent more damage after a flood. And also drying and disinfecting all the affected areas ensure that you’re free from any diseases brought by the flood. I would highly say that your information here is essential!
Great article- depending on the amount of water needed to be removed, it may even be best to use a water extraction machine available for rent or buy at stores like Home Depot!
I really liked that you mentioned the importance of getting water damage dealt with quickly. It would be helpful to know how to make sure that you are dealing with water damage correctly. Disinfecting the area to get rid of mold is a great idea that my cousin looking for a water damage service would love knowing.
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I like how you mentioned that when trying to restore your home after water damage, you should first dry out the affected areas, and then use fans and dehumidifiers in thew are and open windows and allow air flow. Recently, there was a huge flood where I live, and now I have a lot of water damage in my home and don’t know the necessary steps to take. I will definitely keep your great tips and information in mind so that I can properly restore my home from the water damage.
To prevent mold growth, you will need to get your property completely dry again within that 48-hour window. To do this, you’ll need to contact a company that specializes in water damage restoration and emergency water extraction. They will have the professional water removal equipment and drying equipment to get the job done as quickly as possible. Many have 24-hour a day emergency hotlines, so you can start recovering your property almost immediately.
Beautiful. You have shared useful information with us. Thanks for this post. Thanks for this informative article.
You mentioned that when trying to restore your home after water damage, you should first dry out the affected areas, using fans, dehumidifiers, and open windows to allow airflow for a faster dry. My brother’s house was recently flooded and almost his entire basement has been damaged by water. I’ll pass him the info, but to also hire professionals to help him restore his house.
Thank you for reminding me that I need to disinfect the area that’s been damaged by floodwater first before trying to clean it to avoid bacteria that has accumulated on the walls. A huge part of our first floor had been affected and although we were able to save a lot of appliances and furniture, the interior and exterior walls both look filthy. It might be a good idea to hire some professionals who offer power washing services to ensure that our house is thoroughly cleaned.
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My basement area is flooded due to the heavy rainfall that attacked my neighborhood the other day, which is why I’m currently looking for a water damage restoration service that may address this concern. I agree with you that it would best to assess the water level first before removing all the electronics. I’ll also keep in mind to try removing the water using a vacuum.
You made a good point when you said that the first thing you should do when cleaning your home after a flood is by disconnecting the power source and removing all electronics and other important items. Our home was flooded yesterday after a hurricane swept over our town. I’ll follow your tips and try to hire a flood damage cleaning service as soon as possible. Thanks.
“Thanks for sharing this useful blog. It will be very helpful.
Cleaning up from a flood can seem like a daunting task. It’s important to prepare and plan for how you’re going to deal with the damage. you can hire a professional to help you clean up. Ask your homeowner insurance company for a recommendation.”