How to Clean Up After a Minor Flood
Water can cause quite a bit of damage, especially to your home. Depending on the type of water that damaged your home, most items can be salvaged, but some may need to be thrown away. For instance, if the water is from a broken water pipe, and fresh water is leaking in your home, your items just need to be cleaned thoroughly and dried out. If the water is from rain water, and mud has gotten into your home, then most of your items may end up needing to be tossed. See below for tips on how to clean up after a minor flood in your home.
Remove Everything
Start taking everything out of your home that was affected by the floodwater to make getting the water out easier and to prevent further damage to your items.
Get Rid of Standing Water
If you still have water in your home, use a sump pump or submersible pump to help you get rid of the water. Be sure to pump the water out and away from your home to prevent it from finding its way back to your home. Pump it away from your neighbors' homes as well. To help get the water to the pump, use a push broom to help move the water around. If the area was carpeted, you should use a shop vacuum (or rent a vacuum) to suck up most of the water.
Prop Up Carpeting
After vacuuming the carpeting to remove as much water as possible, prop up the carpet to help dry it out. Use a fan (or several fans) to help dry it out. Carpet padding should be removed completely. Once the carpeting is completely dry, you should steam clean it and shampoo the carpeting to clean and sanitize it. You can also hire a cleaning service that specializes in this type of cleaning to do the work for you to ensure it is done properly. This same type of cleaning service may also be able to clean other items that were damaged such as upholstered furniture.
Dehumidify
Turn on a dehumidifier to help dry out your house. Mold and mildew can grow quickly, especially in a moisture-rich area, so getting rid of the moisture in the air and on your walls or floor is important. Turning on your central air conditioner can help dry out the air quickly as well.
If you had a lot of water in your home, your walls and the studs behind the walls may need to be removed to prevent mold/mildew from growing unknowingly behind your walls. Contact a professional cleaning service like A Steam Pro Carpet Cleaning after a flood to ensure your home is thoroughly cleaned and inspected.