Flood Damage Management: Precautions Before Cleaning Up After a Flood
Flood waters are known to pass through different homes, buildings, and other infrastructures. Thus, the flood waters pose a threat to the health of the people that may have come in contact with it because it brings bacteria from all the garbage, filth and dirt it carries along. One can get contaminated with diseases brought about by certain flood – water brought bacteria. That’s why in cleaning up the house after flood has already receded, it would be the safest move to assume that everything inside the house is already infected since it was in contact with the flood. Some things may still be reused although there are some things that would be better disposed than to keep it and put a risk in your health.
Before even thinking of trying to clean up the house, first make sure that you are protected. First you must keep your clothing right and it should protect you from possible physical harm that may happen when you return to your home. Also, since the things in your home may be dirty, your clothing should keep your body from possible bacteria and other microorganisms that may be brought along with the flood. You should wear water resistant gloves and boots to keep you protected.
Face masks are an added accessory that can be used to hide your nose and mouth in order to avoid inhaling toxic materials and mold spores. Using the mask regularly, however, can add risk to your heart and lungs. However, you can still protect yourself and avoid inhaling mold spores by opening windows in order to have better ventilation in the room. You can also add protection by putting on insect repellant creams.
Once you are inside the house, you must segregate the things that you want to keep from those that you can dispose. Most of your belongings may not be used due to the flood damage but there are some that can still be reused once you have cleared the mud and cleaned them. However, before doing anything else, open the windows and doors to keep ventilation into the house. Most of the clothing, carpets, mattresses and pillows must already be discarded if they are soaked in flood water for a long time. These materials may already have a foul odor since soil, and other contaminants have bred through it and even if you try to clean these things, it may still emit the odor or are still contaminated with germs with it. You should use a vacuum to get rid of molds or mildew in your things.
On the other hand, there are also a number of things that can still be kept like your belongings that were not reached by the flood as they were elevated in higher parts or floors of the house. However, one must still try to clean them since bacteria can be caught through the air or the heat and humidity may also be a cause for mildew. All materials should still be washed by a proper product that can be used at home. However, if there are things inside your house that are too costly like the antiques, you may want to invest money so that it would be cleaned properly by the experts in restoring your things after the flood. You must be sure that when you hire a professional for the job, he must be experienced and knows how to handle your things.
In handling everything inside the house, you should not forget to protect yourself from possible contamination by wearing gloves. If your things are already dried, you may shake off the mud that is formed while the wet areas must be hosed off. When handling these items, you must remember that they may already be frail since they have been soaked in water and bacteria may have already started to form. Thus, be careful if you still want to keep your belongings. After you have cleaned them, you must now let them dry by hanging them or spreading them out so that the sun will be able to dry them fast.
Also, you must wash most of your things to keep off the mud from them. If your washing machine may also be soaked in water, using it to clean your clothes may even be a bigger problem so you may resort to public Laundromat or try to borrow from a friend. You may also need to soak your things before it is washed to lessen the mud. In cleaning your clothes, you must make sure that the detergent you are using is the right kind. Also, there may be too many things that must be washed but you must keep that when using the washing machine remember to put the right amount and never overload it. The disinfectant and the detergent must be usable for your clothes and it should be safe to use for a person.
If some of your belongings cannot be washed, you may need to get professional help like dry cleaning. However, you may start waggling your clothes so that some dirt will be off the clothes. Make sure that when dry cleaning, the method used is able to kill the bacteria in your things. Also your drawers and other storage areas should also be cleaned and they must be dried to make sure that there are no harmful organisms that will bread in your furniture.
You must always keep yourself clean so that bacteria would not keep near you. You must wash your hand with soap and water and you must be able to make sure that the water is safe and clean. If the water is not clean, you must use bottled water until it is already sure that it is clean. You must wash your hands before handling any type of food.
