Flooding causes major disasters and completely turn your life and homes upside down. The extent of floodwater will determine the havoc it will create. Nonetheless, your own safety comes first and you can visit your house when the government marks it safe after the flooding.
If you are a victim of flooding, then your home or business will be partly or completely damaged. After prioritizing your safety, you can start examining the damage. The truth is that you will not be able to save even 50% of your damaged items. These are the steps you should take regarding the damaged items of your house.
Precautions
- Take precautions when entering your house as it will be wet and you may slip or fall and get hurt.
- Take precautionary measures around electrical appliances and do not touch them as they may contain currents and sparks due to water.
- Do not turn on the switches such as lights or fans as they may also contain current due to being wet.
- Open the windows and let the outside air come inside so the house could be dried and there is ventilation.
- Be careful as flood water may bring many rodents, snakes and insects.
- Do not go on broken staircases, sagging ceilings and floors and cracked walls.
- Completely drain and remove all the water from the house.
What to Do with Your Stuff?
- Your sofas, curtains, rugs and beds will be wet in extreme flooding and you will have to get them dried completely or it can cause mold growth. If it’s been 48 hours then mold growth would have started and it is best to discard the mattresses, sofas, and carpets. Get help from haul away junk Austin services to do that.
- The wooden furniture should be wiped clean with disinfectant and should be left out in the open to dry.
- Clear up your cupboards and keep them open. Sort out which cloths and stiff is wet enough to be discarded and which could be dry-cleaned and used.
- All the bulbs, lights and ceiling fans should be changed by a professional as water may cause current in them.
- Remove all the stuff from the shelves and walls and clean them with a disinfectant gently and let the walls dry.
- Your big appliances if damaged will be a major loss. Disconnect appliances from the main power and open the doors and let them dry. Get them checked by professionals which are in working condition and which have become completely damaged that they should be sent to recycling centers.
- Your electronic items such as TVs, Computers, and printers should be discarded immediately.
- Drywall should be thrown out because it remains contaminated even after drying out.
- If the plaster is severely cracked or damaged, then it need to be thrown.
- Throw out all the food stuff from the house including the spice jars and canned foods.
- Call in a professional to clean everything with a disinfectant and to clean all the appliances, furniture, walls and floor and to determine that these things are safe to use. If some stuff is unusable, use home junk removal services to remove that.
Conclusion
Cleaning up after flooding is a daunting and difficult task and may take days and days to be completely clean. You may require the help of a professional cleaning service.
