Minimizing Damage to Your Home After a Flood

2/8/2021 (Permalink)

If your home experiences a significant water issue such as a burst pipe, the first step most homeowners take is to do whatever is needed to stop the water. This keeps damage at a minimum, which is a wise move, but here are a few more tips to minimize damage to your home after a flood.

Pick up or move any items that can be impacted by water

If there are rugs or carpets in the flooded area that you can pick up, remove them as quickly as possible. If possible, you may want to take them outside and drape them over something sturdy to let the water drain out. Water can do a significant amount of damage in a short amount of time, especially to items that have color of any kind. Shoes, bags, area rugs, pet gear, books, or magazines, should all be picked up and moved. Most things can hang to dry and won't suffer significantly from water damage if addressed quickly. If any items that are perishable in nature are flooded, it’s best to simply dispose of the item to prevent the risk of contamination. This includes chew toys, pet food, or anything that is quickly impacted by water.

Get as much water as you can up until help arrives

Once the floor is clear, you can concentrate on getting up some of the standing water until help arrives. A handful of towels or a mop may be enough to get the mess under control, or you may want to use a shop vacuum if you have one. While the SERVPRO water remediation team will be able to help with water cleanup, the sooner you can remove standing water, the better, until professionals arrive with equipment suited to extract all water from the home.

Prop up furniture and other larger unmovable items

Some larger items impacted by water may not be able to get moved out of the water impacted area by the homeowner. If that’s the case, there are still steps you can take to minimize the damage until SERVPRO arrives. Use aluminum foil or small wooded blocks to raise furniture up off of wet floors, especially if it's carpeted to minimize damage. By doing this, you're protecting your furniture from prolonged water exposure and possibly reducing the risk of discoloration of carpeting. Whatever you can do to get larger pieces as much out of standing water as possible will help. Wipe down any wood furnishing that have become damp to potentially minimize warping.

Water damage in a home is always unexpected. Act fast to stop the water flow, then call SERVPRO of Central Phoenix at 602-386-4268 to help with water remediation.  We’re available 24/7 to help with any water emergency you may have and will respond quickly to your call. These few activities while you wait for help to arrive can make a difference in keeping damage to a minimum.