
The amount of flooded basements is on the rise. Even if you haven’t been flooded, all homes are at risk. The most frequent causes are heavy rainfall, broken pipes or a faulty sump pump. Irrespective of the cause, immediate attention must be paid to flooded basements to stop long-term damage.
Here are some tips on what you need to do without delay to prevent damage to your house from getting worse, and some guidelines outlining when it is highly suggested to use professionals.
Before entering a wet basement, you must first and foremost take into account your safety. Is there a risk of electric shock? Do you smell gas? Is flood water contaminated by sewer backup? Has the basement construction been weakened? If you answered”yes” to any of these questions, do not enter the basement and seek the services of an expert.
How to cleanup a flooded basement
If you’re able to safely enter, you can do some things to remove water from basement and start cleaning up the flood. Before beginning, remember that the first rule is always security. Wear protective clothing, such as rubber boots, goggles and safety gloves when cleaning and inspecting the basement. Make sure the area is well ventilated, which also helps to speed up drying.
Collect and remove: The sooner you can remove your personal belongings from the water, the better your chances of being able to repair or restore them. Items must be taken out of the basement and residual moisture removed to reduce the probability of mold growth.
Eliminate the water: If the accumulation of water is only a few inches, then you are likely to remove the water using a vacuum cleaner with dust and fluids or a portable sump pump which you can rent rather than buy. If you walk in inches of water, then you will likely need to hire professionals who possess the correct equipment to remove the great deal of water.
Remove carpets: All rugs must be removed and dried immediately. If you can, hang rugs outside to wash them, or use the services of a professional cleaner. If the basement floor is carpeted, it will most likely need to be eliminated. Water not only damages the carpet fibers, it also damages the glue, backing, underlay and underlay, which greatly increases the danger of the carpet becoming moldy. However, do not try to remove a carpet nailed into the floor yourself: entrust this task to experts.
Run dehumidifier and fans: To prevent the formation of mold after a basement floods, it’s crucial to maintain humidity levels as low as possible. If weather permits, open windows while operating a humidifier and fans to increase ventilation and reduce humidity.
Clean and disinfect: When the water has been extracted and the basement is completely dry, all the basement must be cleaned and disinfected. Wash and sterilize carefully everything that has been touched by the flood water and that which you have managed to recover.
Create an inventory list: As each item is removed from the basement flooded and treated for water damage, add it to an inventory list. Keep a record of all the details of what has been damaged by the flooding, and maintain quotes and receipts of any repair or restoration processes. These records will justify your claims with your insurance carrier.
Water Damage Restore helps homeowners and businesses deal with and fix water damage for more than 60 years. If your basement floods, call Water Damage Restore to take control of the situation, ie extracting the water, drying and eliminating the essential mold.