Water Damage Restoration Salt Lake City is drying and cleaning up after a flood. It also includes determining the source of the flood and repairing any damage it caused. The first step is to turn off the electricity. This will prevent electrical shocks and explosions. Remove all contaminated materials. This includes removing drywall, insulation, and carpeting.
Before cleaning up water damage, it’s important to get rid of any contaminated items. This is especially true of porous materials like insulation and carpet that can develop mildew. It’s also a good idea to eliminate any furniture that has been soaked for more than a day or two. These items can become more moldy than they were originally.
The first step in removing contaminated items is to identify the type of water and where it came from. There are three different types of water: clean, gray, and black. Clean water is from rain or leaking pipes. This does not contain harmful chemicals and is safe to clean up yourself. Gray water is from a washing machine, toilet or dishwasher and may have some contaminants. This water is still safe to handle, but should be disposed of properly. Finally, black water is sewage or serious flooding from rivers and can contain dangerous bacteria that require professional handling.
Once you’ve removed any standing water and cleaned up as much as possible, it’s time to dry the area. Use a wet/dry shop vac or towels to remove any remaining moisture. Then, open windows and doors to promote airflow. Finally, set up fans and dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process.
Opening any cabinets and boxes in the affected areas is also a good idea to prevent further damage. Then, make a pile for things that need to be thrown away and a pile for things that can be saved. Paper products, food and electronics should be discarded, but upholstered furniture and rugs can often be cleaned and restored. Make sure to unplug any electrical appliances and wires that are exposed to the water. The combination of water and electricity is dangerous and can lead to deadly electrical shocks.
Remove Drywall and Insulation
When it comes to water damage, time is of the essence. The longer moisture is allowed to remain in a home, the more likely it is that bacteria and mold will begin to grow, and that structural damage will occur. This is why it’s important to call a professional right away if you notice that your home has become waterlogged.
When you call a professional for water restoration, they will typically begin by performing a detailed inspection of your property using equipment like hygrometers and moisture detectors to locate the source of the problem. They will then classify the water that has intruded, which determines how extensive the repair work needs to be. This will help to avoid costly mistakes in the future and allow the experts to properly clean and dry your home.
Once the professionals have removed any standing water and begun drying the once flooded area, they may need to remove drywall down to the studs or rip out carpeting down to the subflooring. This is usually done before any repairs are made, as it allows for a more efficient overall drying process. It also helps to eliminate mold growth and ensures that any hidden components are thoroughly dried.
It’s a good idea to hire a professional for this task, as it can be very dangerous and difficult if the job is not handled properly. The experts have the proper tools and training needed to safely and efficiently handle this project. After removing all of the moisture and any contaminants from the affected areas, cleaning and sanitizing will be necessary to make your home safe and livable again. This might include air scrubbing with industrial fans or even deodorization.
Remove Carpeting
Depending on the severity of water damage, some building materials may need to be removed before drying out takes place. Carpeting, for example, is often removed and discarded after water damage occurs. A professional restoration company may use portable extractors to remove water from soaked carpeting before beginning the drying process, but will also typically perform any necessary restoration work as well. Drying is usually done by strategically positioning air movers and dehumidifiers to allow the property to be thoroughly dried out. In some cases, drywall will need to be replaced, and antimicrobials may be applied to prevent mold from growing.
After removing carpeting, the pros will typically use a mechanical floor scraper to remove any remaining glue and carpet padding. This is a messy job and requires safety gear such as eye protection and gloves. A respirator should be used if the area is especially dusty or dirty.
A final step will be to sweep up the debris, and then scrub the concrete surface with a pH-balanced cleanser. This will remove any remaining residue and prevent any stains from forming in the future. If the basement has any exposed wood, it will need to be stained with a stain-blocking primer before new flooring is installed.
After the final steps have been taken, it’s time to begin the rebuilding process. Depending on the building’s size and extent of the water damage, this will vary from a minor touch up to complete reconstruction. It’s important to call a pro as soon as possible after the water damage occurs to avoid long delays. Once the professionals are on-site, they can begin with a thorough inspection to identify areas that need work.
Get a Dehumidifier
Moisture in your home is not only annoying, it can also be damaging. Over time, high levels of humidity can cause a host of problems from cracking foundation walls to rotting wood framing, and even lead to mold and mildew. The key to preventing these issues is dehumidification.
If you have a large basement that needs to be dehumidified, consider getting a model with a tank that can hold up to 60 pints of water. Most have a drainage hose that can be connected to empty straight into a drain. You can find a model that meets energy-efficiency standards to help you save on electricity usage as well.
For smaller rooms, a dehumidifier that can hold up to 20 pints of water is usually enough. You can even find models that have a continuous drainage option for maximum efficiency.
There are some other things you can do to reduce the humidity in your home as well. If you notice a damp smell, or wet stains on the floor, this is often a sign of too much moisture. Promptly repairing leaky pipes and faucets, patching cracks in the foundation, and cleaning your gutters can all help keep humidity to a minimum.
If you notice that your basement windows are fogging up or developing water spots, this is another sign of excessive moisture. Moisture can corrode metal fittings and cause them to rust, and this can be difficult to fix once it has taken hold. Adding a dehumidifier and taking other steps to control humidity in your home can help prevent this from happening. It may also save you from costly repairs and health problems down the road.
Clean Up
The first step in water damage restoration is to locate and stop the source of the leak. This might be a hidden pipe in the basement, a faulty toilet, an unattended washer or a storm-related window leak. Once the source is stopped, the next steps are to extract or remove standing water, dry and dehumidify the affected areas, treat porous materials, clean and sanitize the area, and restore and repair it.
While a homeowner might try to tackle some of the cleanup tasks themselves, it’s best to call a professional for the more involved and complicated issues. A seasoned and experienced disaster restoration company will be able to assess the damage, locate and fix the problem, salvage and repair what can be saved, and get your home back to normal as quickly as possible.
If left untreated, water damage can lead to the rot of wood materials and the formation of mold and mildew. These can cause health hazards like respiratory illnesses and skin problems. It can also lead to structural damage to the home and serious biohazard contamination. In addition to that, the longer that water stays in a home, the higher the risk of water-borne bacteria and other contaminants entering the house.
If a homeowner sees water stains, this is a clear sign that they need to contact a professional for water damage restoration services. It’s important to hire a professional because it takes less time than you might think for the work to be completed. For a small affected area or room, the entire process could take up to a week or two. However, for a large area or an entire house, the restoration may take several weeks to a few months to be fully complete.