Many people have experienced water damage at one time or another, whether the cause was a natural disaster or a leaky upstairs apartment! It can be truly frustrating and annoying to have to deal with, but getting in quickly and cleaning it up will help you save as much of your valuables and flooring as you can! Here are some great tips for how to clean up water damage.
The first thing you want to do is remove everything out of the room or home where the water damage has occurred. The best thing to do is take these things to the garage or outside where you can inspect them to see if they have water damage as well. You will need to sort through each of these things, whether it’s furniture or personal items and clean those before they can be put back into the cleaned home. If you neglect this, those items can remain damp and grow mold or mildew!
Next, you need to evaluate the water damage in your home or room. If you have ceramic or some other tiling, you are lucky because you will basically just have to clean it. However, if you have carpet and that has been saturated with water, it will need to be either removed or cleaned thoroughly with a wet vac. Many people simply opt to replace the carpet that has been saturated, as the dampness will stay in the carpet for some time which can cause smells or mildew and mold. You will need to check the flooring under the carpet as well for signs of damage.
If you do have to use a wet vac, it is important that you check the manufacturer’s instructions for using it. You will want to remove as much of the excess water as you can and then open the room for the air to circulate. You may even use dehumidifiers to help dry the carpet faster.
If you have concrete under the carpet all that is required is to let the concrete dry, but if you have wood floors, you need to check for weak spots or signs of rotting wood. Of course, the wood that is damaged or rotting will need to be replaced. If it is simply wet, you will need to remove the carpet and give the wood time to dry. You may want to try a dehumidifier in the room as well. After you have done this, you can install new carpet or flooring. Check appliances, wood furniture or other items in your home for signs of damage. If you see any mold or mildew at all, you should spray it down thoroughly with bleach and then clean it up.
After this, your personal items and furniture that has been cleaned can be brought back into your home. If you are unfortunate enough for this to happen to you, following the advice above can help you get things sorted out quickly in order for your life to get back to normal.