7 Helpful Tips for Home Water Damage Repair

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One of the worst enemies to your home is water. Leaks and floods will ruin your possessions and expose homeowners to dangerous mold and mildew growth.

After water damage happens, the clock starts ticking. The sooner you can clean up and repair the damage, the safer your home will be.

To help you wade through the mess, let’s look at 7 helpful tips for home water damage repair.

1. Get Air Flowing

To start the repair process, you need to dry things out ASAP. Air moving through the room will help get rid of excessive moisture.

Turn on fans and open all windows, especially if it’s not very humid outside. For areas of large water damage or flooding, rent a commercial dehumidifier to really pump out the moisture.

2. Tear out All Soaked Porous Materials

Porous materials, such as carpet, drywall, and insulation, are rarely salvageable after water damage. Since porous material soaks up so much water, warping and shrinkage make repairs useless.

Tear out everything that has been soaked. Getting rid of it also eliminates the threat of mold and mildew growth.

3. Use a Wet-Dry Shop Vac

It’s important to get rid of any standing water when dealing with home water damage repair.

Use a wet-dry vac to suck up the water. The quicker you’re able to get rid of it, the better your chances of saving items like rugs and carpeting.

4. Don’t Turn on Your HVAC Right Away

If water poured into your HVAC vents, you don’t want to turn your unit on right away. Unchecked water damage can cause electrical shorts or corrosion to your duct work.

After water damage, have your ducts inspected and cleaned by a HVAC professional.

5. Clean and Disinfect Hard Surfaces

Mold and mildew will start to grow within 24-48 hours of water damage. That’s why it’s important to clean exposed hard surfaces right away.

Use hot water and laundry or dish soap to clean with. Next, disinfect with a 10% bleach solution, applying to the entire area. It’s best to use a sprayer since you don’t want any standing pools of bleach to form.

6. Stop Cleaning If You Start to Feel Sick

When mold is present or you’re cleaning with chemicals, pay attention to how you’re feeling. If there are any signs of getting sick, stop cleaning immediately.

Symptoms to watch for are eye irritation, headaches, breathing difficulties, and coughing. If you experience any of these, get out into fresh air and consider consulting a cleaning service.

7. Call in a Professional

If the damage is too much or you don’t feel you can clean it on your own, it’s best to call in a professional. Companies like Towers Restoration & Cleaning have extensive experience in properly cleaning and repairing damage due to leaks or floods.