Water damage in your home can be the result of many things – wide scale flooding, or a local burst pipe, a hurricane or an earthquake. Whatever the cause of the water damage lets look at how to clean this mess up!
Step 1: Minimize water damage. OK you don’t always get notice that you may have water damage – but often you do. If you have some notice try to move as much out of the areas likely to be affected as possible. Remove furniture to the second story or the attic. Strip floor coverings such as rugs and carpets if you can. Even if you can only move the light and portable items such as TVs and floor lamps you will save yourself a lot of money and heartache.
Step 2: Clean out the affected area. First thing to do once the damage has been done is to get rid of any water left inside. You may need a pump or a number of friends with buckets and mops. The sooner you get the water out the less serious damage you will have.
Step 3: Remove anything loose and wet. If there is furniture in the room still and the weather has cleared – get it outside to dry out. Strip out carpets before they start to mold in situ.
Step 4: Dry out the space. Now you need to thoroughly dry out the area. Try and get fans and dehumidifiers working in the area. Open windows and doors to create cross-drafts. This is the most important step – if the structure of the building is still damp there is no point in moving onto the next step.
Step 5: Redecorate. Sure this is the fun bit – especially if you have disaster insurance to come to the party. But don’t rush it – fancy paint and finish won’t last long if the back of the walls or the floor joists are still wet.
