Some Useful Tips For Water Damage Restoration In Your Home
As much life-sustaining element water is, it can wreak havoc on human life and property if encountered in a different form like floods and storms, and internal sources like burst pipes, sewage backup or an appliance malfunction.
On any unfortunate day if you find yourself in such a situation where due to any of the above-mentioned causes your house is water-clogged and damage has occurred, use these remediation tips for residential water damage restoration and ensure your family’s safety.
- Ensure safety: When you set foot to restore water damage yourself, the first step should be to ensure proper safety by wearing gloves, boots, face masks and protective gear. Then assess if you can handle the damage yourself or not. If not then call for experts like restoration companies.
- Know where and how to turn off the main water supply: It is very important to have knowledge of where the main water supply is and how to navigate it to shut it off in emergency situations like water damage in the house. This is because the longer water sits in the affected area, the greater chances of it seeping inside porous materials of your house. This can weaken the structural integrity of your house and favourable conditions for moulds to grow and cause further damage.
- Turn off electricity: Water and electricity are a formidable and lethal pair. Whenever you are preparing for residential water damage restoration, make sure to turn off the main power supply to avoid electrocution and switch off all the electrical appliances. And when the restoration is complete, do not use electrical appliances without getting them thoroughly serviced.
- Identify the source of water damage: Once all the above safety measures are taken, it's time to identify the source of water damage and the level of contamination associated with it. If it is caused by leaking pipe then it would be less contaminated and hence can be dealt with on your own. If the water damage is caused by brown water then it would contain a certain level of harmful chemicals and required safety measures have to be taken to deal with on your own. However, if the damage is caused by black water which comes from flood and sewer, the contamination is of the highest level and should be dealt with by professional restoration companies only.
- Move valuables: One needs to be quick in responding to water damage and try to move valuable things like electronics, artwork, important documents and papers in a plastic garbage bag and move to dry areas. Call for friends’ help to move heavy furniture and dispose of damaged porous material. These steps make it easy for water damage restoration company to do their work efficiently.
- Begin to clean up: Begin cleaning up with the help of shop-vac and remove as much standing water as possible. Then use a mop and towel to soak and remove the remaining water and moisture in the affected area. Use of fan and dehumidifiers is suggested to dry off the area and open windows for good air circulation. Because of dirty water, it is necessary to disinfect the area with bleach and water solution. Repair and restore damaged walls, ceilings and floorings. If needed, repaint them for better results.
Bottom line:
If you assess that the damage is of 3rd category and cannot be taken care of by basic cleaning and restoration work then call for a professional water damage restoration company that has experience in this field and are equipped with the necessary tools and techniques to restore the water damage.
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