Checklist For Home Clean Up After Water Damage

Once the water damage has occurred be it because of the flood or pipe leakage, there comes the most crucial part which is to clean up the whole property. As the water resides, the home clean up task should be immediately taken.

However, not everyone takes this quite seriously and ends up not working on it. This eventually not just results in property loss but also increases the chances of mold growth and fungal risk to a great extent.

The reason why cleans up action should be taken quickly is because the wood of the home has already submerged in the water. If re-building is done quickly at least the problems like deterioration, insect infestation, and mold growth can be controlled.

Checklist to not Ignore

Before considering anything else, it is important to understand that floodwater is not pure. If there are porous materials then they need to be either removed or replaced. Also, there are some important things to be alert about. This includes:

• The inspection for electrical and structural damage should be done to understand if it is all safe to enter.
• The safety of electricity is of utmost importance in times of flood.
• It is important to look for the gas leaks and fire hazards if there has been any.
• It is important to carry the light sources that are run by the battery.
• The chlorine bleach with vinegar or ammonia should not be mixed.
• It is important to look for snakes, fire ants, and other animals that may have entered.
• The sturdy shoes should be worn with better eye protection and rubber gloves too.

Steps to follow

Before anything else, the first thing is to keep the lives safe and for this, it is important to make sure everyone is out from the damages of fire or new flood crests. It is then time to go ahead and start with another checklist:

Flood Insurance Claims

Those who have flood insurance must contact the insurance expert quickly. The assessment of the home needs to be done by the expert sooner so that at least cleanup of the home post the inspection can be started. During the cleanup it is important:

• Store all the proof of loss just in case the insurance expert must have forgotten.
• It is important to clean the whole house and check if there are any further scope of damages.
• The insurance expert shall be assessing the overall home damage.
• The owner needs to even sign a loss statement proof along with other additional damages that can be found.

Electrical Systems

This is another important section to be added to the checklist. It is important to make sure all the gas and electric services are turned off completely before anyone enters the premises. It is better to have a look at the electrician check for grounds and for any other conditions that are not safe and must be dealt with before the system gets reconnected again.

Food and Water Sanitation

Until local water companies, public health departments, and utilities declare the water source to be completely safe, it is important to maintain water sanitation. Water purification should be done all the time and not just for cooking or drinking only but also to wash the dishes and body too.

Water needs to be strained using a cloth and then boiled at least for a minute. If the boiling is not possible, the fresh unscented liquid chlorine bleach can always work.

Oftentimes, the Undamaged foods in all-metal cans can be saved well if the labels are removed. All it requires is the wash to be done thoroughly so that cans are cleaned and disinfectant should be applied that consists of one tablespoon of bleach per gallon.

It is important to get rid of the flood-contaminated cutting boards, plastics, utensils, spoons, and even pacifiers and supplies. It is important to wash them thoroughly and then sanitize them using boiling water. The more cleanliness is maintained, the better it would be for the health of the entire family.

Carpets and furnishing

Whether it is bedding, furniture, or carpeting to the outdoors, it needs to be dried and cleaned up. The flooded carpets and rugs should be replaced well since the floodwater can have some contaminants. The flooded carpet pads must always be replaced or discarded. Discard these materials into a dumpster rental for easy disposal.

It is also important to get rid of the carpets, rugs, or pads that are waterlogged. It is advised to get rid of them within 48 hours once the water starts subsiding to avoid mold infestation.

In case the salvage is attempted, it is better to widen the carpet outdoors or spread out the rugs. Subfloor or carpets must be dried out as quickly as possible otherwise if the damp carpet is installed, it can mildew.

Walls

It is important to focus on the walls too. There are often flooded walls that people think will dry on their own. But if proper measures are not taken it may lead to odor, mold growth, and structural damage too.

For this, it is important to remove the water from the structure as early as possible. Ventilation is the right thing to do. It is also important to remove the baseboard and even holes need to be cut in the wallboard so that uninsulated walls can be drained out too. For better results, the wet fibrous insulation should be immediately removed and discarded too.

Conclusion

While following up with the above home clean up checklist, it is wise to consider using the products of water damage restoration. It could be pricey but it can offer better support and quick results too.

In case the damage is quite huge to handle then only an expert should be called upon because these are the people who offer better deals and services too. Besides these experts have all kinds of equipment and tools that assure to give your space the recoverable condition as it was before the water flooding.