DIY Tips To Restore Your Home After Water Damage

Floods or water logging due to whatever reasons can be really detrimental. It not only destroys your belongings but can also damage your house and adversely impact your living conditions. While most of the water drenched electronic items can't be saved, you can still work on renewing your home and other possessions. Restoring your home after water damage can be a really challenging task. But with proper precautions and care, you can try to do it on your own. Here are some DIY tips to help you with the refurbishing:

Removing/Discarding the damaged items

Shift all your movable belongings from the affected area following the order of their priority. Electronic items should be removed first (after unplugging safely). Cut off electricity supply to the water logged area if water level rises above the electronic outlets. Immediately remove carpets and other things that can still be saved after cleaning and disinfecting. Discard and dump the unusable stuff to proper recycling channels. If you have loads of stuff stuck in the water and it might take a lot of time and effort to restore your home after water damage, consider opting for professional help before it gets too late.

Cleaning

Next comes the cleaning of the affected area. Though it is better to hire a professional, you can alternatively use a rented sump pump to drain all the collected water. Be extremely careful of the power source though. If the amount of water is manageable, you can clean up the area manually using buckets and mops. Wear heavy rubber gloves and boots to avoid any infection from the water that can have germs from the sewer and toilets.

Drying

It is extremely important to dry up the area and other belongings without delay to prevent mold growth. Mold formation normally begins within 48-72 hours. Paper, wood, and drywall are its major food source. Therefore, the drying process should be immediately initiated. After making sure that using the power sources is safe, use fans to dry up the area. If the climate is damp outside, use dehumidifiers. Open the windows if it's not raining anymore. If your drywall has been affected by the water, you might need to cut out the affected regions to prevent mold formation in the paper backing.

Disinfecting

After drying up everything, disinfect the whole area along with all the furniture, drywall, carpets, padding, etc. Professionals use effective professional products to do the task; you can try out a homemade bleach solution to do the same. If you buy disinfecting products from the store, read out all instructions carefully.

All these tips will come handy if the damage is not beyond self repair. However, if it gets difficult to manage it on your own, you should hire professional water damage restoration services. If the restoration work is delayed, the problem might blow up due to the formation of molds and other bacterial growths within the house which leads to poor air quality and can cause health problems like asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Karin Glassner is the owner of Service Master By American Restoration Services, Inc, a franchised restoration and cleanup service provider operating in long Island, New York, specializing in fire damage restoration services.