Do you know how to reclaim your property in the event of severe water damage?
Today, there are dozens of ways for water to damage your home. These include plumbing problems, frozen burst pipes, water buildup in low-lying areas like the crawl space, HVAC malfunctions, and flooding caused by extreme weather and natural disasters.
With this in mind, it’s time to start thinking about your water damage restoration checklist. Today, we’re sharing a comprehensive guide to help you prepare for possible flooding and water damage in and around your home.
Let’s dive in.
The Complete Water Damage Restoration Checklist for Your Home
After severe water damage, you have to act fast to prevent your property from suffering permanent damage.
In fact, mold growth can start within just 24 to 48 hours. With this in mind, follow these tips to restore your home and get life back to normal:
- Turn off your water main. If possible, turn off the water in your home. This minimizes flooding and prevents your house from suffering additional damage.
- Turn off your power. The last thing you need to worry about is electrical hazards in standing water. Turn off all power to your house to keep your family safe.
- Start to remove water as soon as possible. Homes can bounce back surprisingly well after water damage, but you must remove the water quickly. With this in mind, employ a sump pump or dehumidifier as soon as it’s safe to do so.
- Utilize fans and floor dryers. Once you’ve restored electricity to your house, pull out all of your stand-up and box fans. Position them around the house to speed up drying. You can also rent floor dryers and large, industrial-strength fans from a local flood remediation company.
- Pick up wet carpeting. If you have area rugs and pads throughout your home, get them up off the floor to prevent further damage and speed up the drying process.
- Contact an emergency restoration company. You should not attempt to repair all water damage on your own. Instead, contact your local water damage restoration specialist for a comprehensive water damage restoration service that will clean and dry your property. They will be able to stop water seepage, identify the source of the moisture, and remove excess water. Additionally, restoration professionals will help you catch any hidden issues and resolve them before they become expensive structural fixes.
3 Things Not to do
Now that you know what steps to take following water damage, here are a few things you should not do:
- Do not get near standing water if your home’s electricity is still turned on. Even if you don’t see an electrical hazard lurking in a pool of standing water, this is an incredibly dangerous environment. Avoid it at all costs.
- Don’t use your household vacuum cleaner to remove water. It’s okay to use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to suck up excess water from carpets and flooring, but you should never use your typical household vacuum cleaner. Doing so puts you at risk of electrocution.
- Do not use your overhead lights. If you have water damage in the ceiling, from an upper-level bathroom leak – for example, do not engage your overhead lights. This could cause more damage. It is also a fire risk.
Contact our Water Damage Restoration Technicians for Comprehensive, Reliable Service
Nobody wants to experience water damage in their home. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what happens to thousands of homeowners each year. If you need emergency restoration or mold remediation services in Chicago or the suburbs, look no further than ServiceMaster of Lake Shore.
Our team of skilled disaster recovery technicians will help you identify the source of the damage and take any action needed to prevent mold and further problems in your house. Contact us today to learn more about our water damage cleanup services or to get your free quote.
