Flood Damage 101: 5 Things to Know About Water Damage Restoration

Natural disasters can cause things like broken pipes, leaking pipes, and other forms of water damage to your home. When you find out that your home base suffered water damage you must act quickly to fix the problem. A lot of problems can arise from damage that is caused by water.

But, you don't have to become stressed about the water damage because we are going to provide you with 5 water damage restoration tips that can help solve the problem.

Water Damage Restoration: Things to Consider

Water Volume

1. Minimal water or water in small amounts can be controlled easily, but flooding from a natural disaster such as flood damage or leaking pipe can be more difficult to control. Even if the best effort is given it can still be difficult to control your water problem.

Source of Damage

Before you can start the water restoration process, you have to figure out where the water is coming from. There are 3 types of water that you need to know about:

• Blackwater- blackwater is the most harmful kind of liquid and comes from the sewer or flooding from a local river. This water is unsafe because of potential health hazards
• Gray water- This type of water will most likely come from the washing machine, dishwasher, or the toilet. You can clean this leak yourself as long as you do it cautiously
• Clean water- This type of water comes from rain and other leaking pipes. This water is the safest to handle because it doesn't contain any harmful chemicals

Damage Level

The last thing to access is the level of water damage. If the damage is minor, it can be taken care of by the homeowner. If the damage is severe or hazardous, you should hire a professional to properly do the flood cleanup.

Restoration Tips

Since you know now what the first steps you need to take to control water damage are you now, need some restoration tips. Here is a warning, however, and that is that after 24 hours of being exposed to water, things begin to mold. Make sure to call a professional to address all of your restoration needs.

Disconnect All Outlets

When you discover that your home has water damage, you need to unplug all of the electrical outlets at once. You may not know what the damage severity is at this time, but the last thing you want is to be electrocuted, trying to find the source of the problem. 

When you are around electrical outlets and other household appliances always use caution. If caution isn't used, it can result in electric shock and, if severe enough, an explosion.

Inspect Mold

There are certain types of molds that can be hazardous to humans' lives. Once your house has mold, it can continue to spread quickly throughout your home. If you find a small area of mold you can easily cut it out.

But, if the problem is bigger than you anticipated you need to close down the air supply and call a mold expert. As you continue, your restoration continues to be on the lookout for more mold. If it's inhaled, water can be very deadly to the human respiratory system, so be cautious. 

Dry the Water Out

Before more water damage happens to your home, you need to cut off the moisture supply. Then you need to start the process of drying out the wet area. You can do this by using a large fan or a dehumidifier. 

Using these tools will help to circulate the air and dry out the wood, carpets, and other wed materials. Doing this won't stop the mold from growing, but it will help minimize the damage done by the mold. 

Remove the Damaged Materials

If you have carpet in your home or wood that is porous, then you will need to get rid of it as soon as possible. This will help you to avoid mildew and growing mold within your carpet. Before doing that, you need to focus on removing the damage in your ceilings as well as the floors.

Any pieces of concrete, wood, or drywall that haven't been sealed will probably have to be replaced. This will help your home withstand the repair that is needed to fight the water damage.

Disinfect All Remaining Areas

Remember, when we mentioned the types of water that you need to be on the lookout for when it comes to flood cleanups? This is where that comes into play because depending on the type of water that has leaked into your home will define the chemicals that you are being exposed to.

Some types of water contain more bacteria and chemicals than other liquids do. If the water contains harmful bacteria, it could promote the growth of miles inside of your home. After all of the damaged areas have been removed from the home you will still need to go back and disinfect the area.

To clean the area, you can purchase a bleach solvent and simply spray the bleach on the area and wipe it off after a few minutes. This will keep the mold spores from continuing to grow or from growing back in the future.

Call a Professional Water Damage Specialist

Water damage can be extremely stressful, especially for a homeowner, but it doesn't have to be. That's why you need to call a professional water damage restoration specialist. We will know how to take care of any water damage that has been done to your home.

By having the damage looked at professionally, you can rest easy knowing that any health hazards will be avoided. You could tackle it yourself, but at the end of the day, it's always best to leave the heavy lifting to professionals that want to get the job done right the first time for you. 

Don't delay in finding the flooding specialist to help you with all of your restoration needs. Go check out our blog for more information on water and flood damage cleanups!