6 Rules For Cleaning Up Your Property After A Flood

3/17/2021 (Permalink)

Reading time: 1 min 22 sec

Cleaning up after a flood is unlike any other form of cleaning. If your home has been damaged by a flood, hurricane, or levy split, you know what a nightmare it can be. Sifting through personal belongings that have been saturated in dirty black water can be difficult, because although the objects may be packed with memories, they may also contain pollutants. If the content cleaning process starts, it can be difficult to determine what can be preserved and what must be discarded. Here are six things you need to think about when restoring your flooded property.

SIX RULES

1. Clothing
2. Surfaces
3. Textiles
4. Nonporous items
5. Vintage/ Valuable items
6. Floors

Clothing

Consider an object that can absorb water to be a sponge filled with possible toxins. Clothing, bedding, carpets, and couches are all examples of this.

Surfaces

Disinfectants are sometimes used to clean nonporous surfaces. Special precautions should be taken to eliminate the risk of mold or mildew development. When two surfaces on a nonporous object come into contact, the risk of mold or mildew grows exponentially. Consider oil paintings in boxes, metal cabinet handles, and plastic drawer bins.

Textiles

Textiles will often be salvaged if washed and dried within 48 hours. However, there are several exceptions to fabric material washing. It is not recommended to wash wool, leather, or silk pieces. Wool sometimes shrinks, leather cracks or loses its form, and silk becomes brittle after being dried.

Nonporous items

Nonporous items can also be saved if you have access to a functioning bathtub immediately after a flood. Small items of metal, plastic, or other manufactured materials should be soaked in a disinfecting solution before you have time to deal with them.

Vintage/ Valuable items

In plastic bags, freeze damaged heirloom books, framed pictures, or valuable documents. This can give you more time to think about recycling initiatives like photocopying.

Floor

After a saturating water disaster, Call SERVPRO of College Park / Hyattsville and SERVPRO of District Heights / Landover. Experts with knowledge will include drying and dehumidifying equipment as well as a workforce to help with cleanup efforts.