How to Save Your Belongings after a Flood

by Kevin Smith Author

During heavy storm season, no region is safe from water damage. Alpharetta, GA is one of the places that experience this. After a flood, you’ll face the challenge of restoring your house to order. This is one of the initial steps to protect your health and prevent further damage to the house and all the household contents.

Whether salty, dirty, or contaminated, the first thing you have to do is to determine what type of water you're dealing with. You may need professional help if your valuables have come in contact with toxic water. If the water is untainted, you can clean and dry them on your own. Read on and follow these steps to save your belongings:

Know Your Priority

Whether for sentimental or monetary reasons, focus on what's important to you as you may not be able to save everything. Try making a list of categories from furniture, appliances, consumer electronics, and other valuables. In this way, you’ll be able to prioritize what to save first. Make sure to start with the things that you need most of the time.

Dry Your Items Indoors

It's best to dry your belongings as well as hair dryers, irons, and ovens inside the house since exposure to sunlight can do irreversible damage. Opening your windows may not be the best move since excess coolness or heat and humidity complicate the drying process. Once done with the drying, check the materials thoroughly before putting everything back together to prevent mold.

Handle with Care

Carefully use soft cloths and brushes to loosen dirt and debris on objects. Delicate items can be especially fragile when wet so be careful in handling them. For flooded books, it may be a challenge but placing a paper towel in between pages will help.

Save Photographs

Separate the pictures from albums and frames. Don't rub them to prevent them from being distorted. Rinse the photographs with clean water. Use a plastic screen or paper towel or hang them by the corners with a plastic clothespin to air-dry them. As the images dry, make sure not to let them be exposed to other surfaces.

Store Your Belongings in Cool Areas

Objects that you can’t work on right away should be placed in open, unsealed boxes or bags. It buys time to devote to other activities. If you can't attend to items within 48 hours, put the photos, papers, books, and textiles in the freezer. Recover the items on your own available time.

Dealing with the effects of water damage is difficult. Seek help from contractors who focus on water damage in Alpharetta should the need arise. Remember, by saving your belongings, you can also save your treasured memories.