Water Damage in Your Home: Best Methods to Deal With it
Here are some steps to take to prevent major damage from destroying your home:
FIND WHERE THE WATER IS COME FROM AND STOP IT. This is the first thing to do – if the water is coming from a pipe or hose, shut off the main water valve to the house. You should always find out where this is in your home. If the water is coming through the roof, get into the attic and lay down some heavy plastic sheeting and set buckets to catch the water. Then call a roofing company to tack a waterproof tarp over the outside or you can go to hardware store and get something to temporary seal leak if possible.
GET A PUMP TO REMOVE WATER. Do this as quickly as possible. Shut off your main circuit breaker first, then unplug all electrical appliances, you might be
safer calling a electrician for this to inspect the area for shock hazards. If you don’t have a pump, such as myself, you can buy one or rent one. Some pump kits are available at home improvement stores. The next step is to place the pump in the middle of the flooded area with enough hose to carry the water outside.
IF YOU HAVE CARPET START SOAKING UP THE WATER AND DRYING. If you have carpet you’ll want to get the water soaked out of it. You can rent a commercial blower for that. Position it so it blows air underneath the carpet. To reach under the carpet, simply grab one corner of it with a pair of pliers and pull. If the carpet is soaked, first remove the water with a wet/dry shop vac or a commercial carpet cleaner. After the water has been soaked out then use the blower to dry underneath it. If your water came from rain or sewer backup you might want to rip it out and replace it. For furniture dry it off with towels or cotton rags, if white spots or cloudy film develops on wood furniture you will need to rub the surface with a damp cloth dipped in turpentine or camphorated oil be sure to test a small area first. Wipe then dry with furniture polish.
GO TO WALLS AND FLOORS – START DRYING THEM. For this you can use fans and a dehumidifier . Fan blowers are needed for the the initial drying and the dehumidifier for long term moisture control You can also turn on your heating system to speed up the drying time. This is the quickest and safest method to prevent mold and mildew from creeping in.If that happens then you can remove it with a detergent solution as it will work great. Just use one half cup of chlorine bleach per gallon of water, or you can buy any of the over the counter products they sell for this. I personally have found the chlorine bleach solution to work really well.
EXAMINE CLOSELY ALL DAMAGES. For this task, take your time and really look for any hidden damages. This will come into play when it’s time to call your insurance company if you have enough damage to do so. Document all your damages, if you’ve had to rent any equipment such as the pump or a commercial fan blower or if you had to replace anything, always have the receipts. When you call ask for phone numbers of emergency plumbers, roofers etc. Many insurers have a preferred contractor program to control their costs.
