The water damage caused by rain is relatively easy to solve compared to the flood damage. If you act fast, there’s nothing much that’ll go wrong. The steps below will help you ensure that it doesn’t stay for long when water enters your home. Let’s have a look at how to clean up:

1) Remove standing water

When dealing with floodwater, the first thing you should do is clear everything at risk. Remove furniture or electronics near the affected areas, so they are out of harm’s way. If there are items not worth rescuing, discard them immediately. Wear rubber boots during this process because floodwaters have bacteria, and any amount of exposure can pose serious health risks.

2) Start scooping

Once the standing water has been removed, it’s time for you to start scooping up all leftover slushy debris on your floor with a shovel for quick disposal. You may also want to use a wet/dry vacuum to remove excess moisture from carpets and substrates. Vacuum cleaners will work too, if possible, but only after ensuring that electrical devices are dry enough to be plugged in again safely.

3) Put dry things back in place

As soon as you’ve done the initial cleanup, it’s time for you to put all your main valuables that have survived pretty much intact in their original places. The sooner this happens, the better because delayed drying will lead to serious damage to certain materials, especially electronics. If possible, don’t use carpet cleaners unless necessary because they may disturb not only the drying process but also hinder efforts to remove odors caused by mildew or mold growth. Once everything has been placed back in its rightful place, proceed to step 4.

4) Replace missing items

If there are elements of your furniture or appliances that have been removed or damaged during the cleaning process, replace them as soon as possible. Make sure you’re buying products of equal quality to avoid more water damage issues in the future.

5) Wash everything else up

Your house is likely crawling with bacteria by this point, so do yourself a favor and thoroughly wash all potentially affected surfaces or items using an antibacterial detergent mixed with warm water (use separate buckets). This includes walls, floors, carpets, upholstery, and even clothing worn during the cleanup operation. If mildew has found its way into your property, also use bleach because it’s toxic for microbes but won’t make fabrics fall apart like commercial disinfectants tend to do. After that, clean everything one last time (floors, walls, etc.) using plain water.

Conclusion:

Flood damage isn’t uncommon during the rainy seasons. With these tips, you can minimize the chances that water will cause problems in your house. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to cleaning up after a natural disaster.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other cities in New Jersey, such as Glen Ridge, Parsippany and Lodi.