Tips on How to Clean up Flood Water Damage

Tips on How to Clean up Flood Water Damage

Flood water can happen for several reasons like broken pipes, clogged rain gutters, poor drainage, a leaky roof or clogged toilets, sinks or showers. After a flood, the clean-up can intimidate the average homeowner, but if you follow a few guidelines, you can clean up the home much easier after the disaster. Let’s look at how to clean flood water damage in the home.

Tip #1: Shut off the Gas and Electric

Even when it comes to shutting off the gas and electricity, only do it if you can do this safely. Remember: Water conducts electricity. Call in the professionals and leave it to them if you can’t do it safely. Your priority after floodwater strikes the home should always be to stay safe. This is the foundation for learning how to clean flood water from the home.

In some cases, you can’t inhabit a building after a flood because of the hazards to your health. Usually, turning off the electricity is so straightforward that it requires no tools. Just locate the service panel. You will often find it located in the basement.

For the gas, you will find the gas safety shut-off valve at the meter. In most cases, you will find it outside, but if you don’t have one outside, it may be located under the stairs, in the garage or beneath the kitchen sink.

Before you attempt to shut it off, check to see that you turned off all the gas appliances and pilot lights. Next, go to the safety valve and turn it into the off position. You can tell that you turned it off when you have it at a right angle from the pipe.

Tip #2: Call the Electrician

Next, you must speak with an electrician to have them examine the electrical system for signs of damage. You will want to look at the building’s overall structure. Check the foundation of the home for signs of damage, such as cracks. In cases where you receive your water from a well, you may need to disinfect the well, depending on the type of damage.

Tip #3: Take Water out of a Flooded Basement in Stages

Let’s say that you have a flooded basement. You will want to pump it out in stages if the water has risen over 6 inches. Many homeowners encounter a flooded basement and their first reaction is to get rid of all the water at once. This can result in severe structural damage to the home because of how it pushes in the walls or heaves the floor.

If you want to know how to clean flood water from the home basement, only start pumping water out if the water inside is higher than the water outside. You may even want to measure this beforehand to prevent damage to the home. Once the water levels reach the same level, stop pumping.

Tip #4: How to Eliminate the Odor

If you want to know how to clean flood water from the home, you will need to eliminate the odor. Ventilation by itself won’t get rid of the odor. You need to mop the concrete walls and floors with a bleach solution. Usually, you will use 3/4 cup of household bleach for every gallon of water.

You will need to rinse and dry the water from the concrete once you finish. When you apply the bleach solution, open the windows since the vapors can damage your lungs and organs. Whenever you use bleach products indoors, make sure that you have good ventilation.

Tip #5: How to Remove Standing Water

Before you ever enter a watery area, always check to see that the water doesn’t connect to an electrical source. After you determine that, you can use either a shop vac or a pump to remove the water. Read the instruction manual ahead of time to learn how to use it.

In some cases, they may require you to remove the filter before you use it. Use your local city system, and while it may flood the city’s capacity at first, it won’t take long before you can drain away the rest of the water.

Conclusion

One of the most important elements of learning how to clean flood water is to pinpoint the source. Learn what started the flooding and figure out how to stop it from happening next time. In some cases like with a broken pipe, you can’t do much to stop it from happening, but you can take the right action after it happens to prevent further damage to the home.

How you respond after the flooding happens will play an equally important role in what happens next and what the cost of the damage is. If you are facing floodwater damage in your home, it’s essential to act quickly and safely.

To find and fix the cause contact a trusted and experienced professional like Drainage and Waterproofing LLC. With their expertise in drainage and waterproofing, they can help prevent future flood damage and keep your home safe.