Flood Damage Cleanup Safety Tips

Flood damage cleanup should be done with extreme care and it should be done only once you have made the necessary measures to make your house safe to enter. Before flood damage cleanup, do not forget to videotape and get photo shots of your home as proof when filing claims for insurance. Wear protective gloves, rubber boots, and safety mask when taking photographs and cleaning.

Use of cleaning products

Before you use products for flood damage cleanup, read instructions and labels. Keep in mind that disinfectants are for eliminating bacteria and germs, while cleaners are for eliminating dirt. Mixing ammonia and bleachers is a big NO-NO, for this will produce toxic fumes. It is recommended that you use 1 part bleach: 10 parts water ratio for disinfecting of furniture. You can use trisodium phosphate for flood damage cleanup of walls, tiles, linoleum floors, and other hard surfaces. For washable textiles, liquid detergents will do. Use only bleach if it safe on fabric.

Home cleaning after flood

Remove stagnant water and dispose wet materials that can't be salvaged before you begin flood damage cleanup of your home. Standing water encourages growth of bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms. These microorganisms can adversely affect human health and may cause allergic reactions. Additionally, there's no way of knowing if untreated sewage have contaminated floodwaters. This means greater potential health problem if you come in contact with flood water.

Furthermore, the longer materials stand on water, the greater structural damage is to be expected. Therefore, you should pump out or flush standing water the soonest you can.

Check out every part of the house after clearing it of stagnant water. Damp places are ideal breeding areas for bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The most effective way to deal with this situation is to use cross-ventilation by opening up every window and door in your home. Let fresh air pass freely into every nook and corner of your home. You can use air conditioners and fans to dry places faster.

Open windows and doors to let in fresh air, and to keep your house well-ventilated. Good ventilation can help hasten up drying process of your house interior.

Thoroughly disinfect walls, floors, and every contaminated material using mop or brush. Flush your ductwork especially if it was reached by floodwaters. Wash and disinfect your ductwork system.

Drying

Drying your home will complete flood damage cleanup. Drying should be done in the shortest time possible. Excessive moisture content at home poses several potential health problems. Places with high humidity and moisture level are ideal conditions for growth of certain microorganism, particularly mold and dust mites which are harmful allergens. The objective of drying one's home is in order to improve air quality inside homes. Carpets and household items that have been saturated should be dried outside. Return them only to your homes once completely dry. Remember, never to use dryers and heaters to dry your house interior for this will only increase humidity level and cause further damage to your home.

Flood damage cleanup can be straining, meticulous, and requires a lot of patience. However, it is important that you do flood damage thoroughly in order to not miss any problem that can cause you more serious problem in the future.

Flood damage cleanup should be done with extreme care and it should be done only once you have made the necessary measures to make your house safe to enter. Before flood damage cleanup, do not forget to videotape and get photo shots of your home as proof when filing claims for insurance.

Evie Parrish does writeups for homeowners for Baltimore Flood Damage Cleanup and San Francisco Flood Damage Cleanup

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