How To Decide When To Call In The Pros

7/13/2021 (Permalink)

Mold spores have grown and spread on an inner wood structure.

How To Decide When To Call In The Pros To Clean Up Water Damage

Water damage in your home can occur from a number of different sources ranging from outdoor flood damage, roof damage that lets in precipitation to interior causes such as a burst pipe or overflowing washer causing flood damage. Obviously, the longer water sits, the more water damage it is likely to cause. In addition, damage mitigation of water that comes from a clean interior source such as a pipe or washing machine is also easier than damage mitigation from flooding or a sewer issue. In some cases, whether it is water in your home or water in your business, you absolutely want to call in professionals to deal with the issue. However, there are some types of water damage restoration - particularly if it is water in your home - you might want to tackle on your own. For water in your business, there is the additional issue of valuable electronics, which are more susceptible to water damage and require different restoration and mitigation techniques. For water in your home, however, here is brief overview of how drying and water cleanup should occur.

1. Lift furniture

Once you have cleaned and evacuated the majority of the water, your best friends in the final stages of water cleanup, restoration and drying are air and heat. For restoration and damage mitigation in floors in particular, getting the best airflow possible means getting furniture up above the surface of the floor so as not to block the airflow. In addition, you will also want to protect the legs and lower surfaces of furniture from wicking up the water and leaving stains once it dries. Drying out carpeting and flooring is also important and lifting furniture will aid in the drying process.

2. Remove baseboards and drill large holes in the bottom of drywall

Drywall is not only dry, it also acts like a sponge, which means it will wick water high up into the walls where you can't see it because it's covered by paint. The paint also acts as a protective barrier that will keep air from being able to dry out the drywall. Drilling holes in the bottom of the drywall allows air to get inside the walls and dry out the drywall from the side that is not covered by paint. Drilling the holes in the bottom of the drywall also means they will be covered up once you replace the baseboards.

3. Spray a strong disinfectant on the walls

Mold, mildew and bacteria thrive in moist environments. To make sure that you do not have long-term mildew damage, be sure and spray any carpets and walls with a strong disinfectant or anti-bacterial spray. Also keep in mind that many insurance companies will cover flood recovery, but they will not cover mold and mildew damage, since that should have been taken care of in the initial recovery. This is something to consider when deciding whether or not to call in pros to recover from flood damage.

4. Set up industrial fans, an industrial dehumidifier and crank up the heat

While regular household fans might be enough to create a cool breeze, they are not powerful enough to create a strong enough wind current to climb up high into your walls. Heat will help water evaporate, and dry air will absorb the water as it evaporates, but you have to then remove the water from the saturated air so it will absorb more moisture, which you do with the dehumidifier. You want to keep doors and windows tightly sealed during this process, so you may want to leave the house while the heat and fans do their work.

Water in your home will create damage if left standing long enough but water in your business has the potential to create even more damage due to the presence of more electronics. For water in your business, you will most likely want to call in the pros to do the water cleanup. Even in your home, however, water cleanup from flood damage can be pricey even if you do all the work yourself.

The cost of renting industrial fans and an industrial dehumidifier might be comparable to hiring professionals to do it for you and you can be sure if you hire professionals that it is done properly and does not result in even costlier mold damage.