Weekend flooding ..Cleaning on your own !!!

1/31/2017 (Permalink)

Water damage does not have to be this severe to be a problem. Cleaning it up yourself can be?

Over the weekend I heard a lot of people talking about getting flooded. When prompted about who they had come out and clean the water they most assuredly said they did it themselves. Below you will find what was done by the majority of people.

Step 1: Went out and bought a wet/dry vacuum.

Step 2: Get rid of water. Used a lot of rags, towels, New Vacuum

Step 3: Go through all the stuff that was wet repack what they thought could be saved and tossed out what was too wet.

Step 4: Found their home dehumidifier in the closet and placed it in the room. Left it on for a few hours and then turned it off.

Proudly showing off that there was no longer water in their basement and how they solved the problem.

YIKES>>>>>>>>>>> Few Steps missing

Step 4: has a lot more than setting up a dehumidifier for a few hours. Industrial dehumidifiers are set up in homes and left on for at least 3 days. They are also set up with industrial fans that circulate the air and blow directly on the wet materials so that they will dry faster. No fans were set up and the dehumidifier was not left on for nearly long enough.

Step 5: Take moisture readings after a few days to asses effectiveness of the drying process outlined above. If readings are not back to normal levels for the home you need more time to dry.

Step 6: Spray everything. Concrobium is an anti-mold growth spray that must be used to cover everything that was wet. Floors, walls, Appliances, any wood or furniture that was wet with the damage must be sprayed. This step is crucial to not get a musty smell in your home. That smell is a result of improperly drying from water damage.

Should you notice mold you must call a professional. Mold remediation is a much more intensive process and is a lot more costly. If you recently cleaned up a water damage problem yourself and skipped any steps above I suggest you call a professional to have them properly assess your situation. It only takes 24 hours for mold to start to grow. The water that you cannot see causes the most damage. Please make sure you are working with a professional when there is damage this can save you thousands down the road.