Credit: Flickr / Remy Sharp
Water damage clean up is no simple matter. It takes a lot of time and effort to do it right. When water enters an interior space, it can easily cause a lot of problems to begin to manifest. You must act quickly, otherwise, the situation will only worsen as time goes by. Eventually, the damage will become so great, it will take much more work to fix it and conceal its existence.
What to Avoid for Water Damage Clean Up
One of the biggest challenges with water damage clean up is not to make the situation worse. How could it get any worse? Well, if you don’t follow procedure. We’re talking about your homeowners insurance coverage. It probably states that it’s your responsibility to prevent any more damage.
Water damage can be deceptive. Water penetrates into structural cavities creating trapped pockets of saturation. The detection of water in these areas can often only be discovered with sophisticated moisture detection meters. Undetected moisture will continue to cause damage. This damage, at a minimum, will cause odors. Greater damage will surface when materials delaminate, shrink, split and further deteriorate to where costly repairs are required. --Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification
What this means is that you have a duty to prevent any other damage from occurring. So, be sure to take those preventative measures or your entire claim could well be in jeopardy. Also, you’ll probably want to salvage as much as possible. While that’s understandable, it’s likely unrealistic. So, let’s get on to how to go about water damage clean up.
Best DIY Water Damage Clean Up Tips You can Use in Milton
Your first step is to determine what’s causing the water damage. If it’s due to a burst pipe and the walls and floor are wet, that’s obvious. However, some water damage occurs over time and remains undetectable. But, if you can immediately see it, here’s an overview of how to do water damage clean up:
- Document any damage. If you have homeowner’s insurance and/or flood insurance, now is a good time to retrieve those policies and for review. You’ll first want to start the water damage cleanup process by documenting any damage with pictures. In addition, most insurance policies require you do what’s necessary to mitigate any further damage, so be sure to take precautionary steps.
- Pump out the water and dehumidify. If there is standing water, use a shop vacuum to get it out. As soon as you remove the standing water, bring in a dehumidifier to lower the moisture level.
- Remove any damaged items. Lastly, pull out any furniture or fixtures damaged by the water, including the flooring, like carpeting or laminate. You’ll need to examine the subfloor for signs of damage, as well.
If you need water damage clean up, just go ahead and phone 800-433-1094 or visit AAA Rousse Services.