5 Tips for Cleaning up After Your Home Floods

by Kevin Smith Author

When you have a flooding incident in your home, you could be looking at a lot of damage. Not only can water damage your possessions, it can cause significant harm to your house, and cleaning it up is more than a matter of just mopping up the excess water. Besides calling in professionals at water damage cleanup in Roswell, here are a few steps you'll need to take to recover after a flood.

1. Disconnect the Power

The first thing you need to do when flooding occurs is to move everything out of the way as quickly as possible, beginning with electronic items. After shutting off all power leading to the affected areas, remove all electronics, then pull up all the carpets and underpadding. There's a chance the carpeting can be saved if removed in time.

2. Get Rid of the Water

If you're concerned about loose wires, or you lack power, removing water manually will work fine. Start with buckets, then mop up as much water as possible. If the sewers in your neighborhood aren't backed up, you can toss the water down the drain. Otherwise, throwing it onto the lawn is fine. If you need the extra help and have access to power, consider renting a sump pump from a local hardware store. The faster you get the water out, the less likely you'll have to deal with mold problems later on.

3. Dry out Affected Areas

With the standing water removed, it's time to put your home's fans to work on the remaining moisture. If you have a dehumidifier, use that as well, and open all the windows and doors (if it isn't raining). If you have drywall that's been flooded, you'll probably have to cut it away as its paper backing is a frequent depository for mold.

4. Disinfect

Once the area has dried out (including carpets, walls, beams, furniture etc.) spray everything with a disinfectant. Be particularly aware of any part of the house that could be affected by toilets or sewer lines backing up, as those would be breeding grounds for bacteria.

5. Carefully Dispose of Damaged Items

After all the work you've done, you may be tempted to just dump everything into a dumpster. This will only compound problems in the surrounding community, so take the time to separate items into those that can be dumped, and those that can be recycled or disposed of only at certain sites, such as electronics and household chemicals.

For further assurance that your home is as safe and clean as possible, don't hesitate to call your local experts at water damage cleanup in Roswell.