4 Important Steps When Cleaning Up After A Flood
You can't control when a flood impacts your home. However, you can control the impact of the flood through how you clean things up after the flood. The right cleaning approach can determine how seriously your home is impacted and how extensive the damage is.
1. Turn off Utilities
It is difficult to tell just by looking at how a flood has impacted your utilities, which is why you are going to want to turn off the gas and electricity to your home. That will allow you to unplug and remove electrical devices so that you don't get electrocuted. That will enable you to bring in a professional to inspect your electrical system and figure out if there is any damage from the floodwaters that needs to be repaired before turning back on the electricity.
You are also going to want to inspect your appliances before powering them back on. Turning off the utilities will protect yourself and your home.
2. Protect Yourself
Flood water is dirty water. It can contain oils, gases, bacteria, and human waste. You don't really know what the floodwater carried into your home. That is why you will want to wear waterproof boots, cover up all exposed skin, and wear gloves. That way, you are protecting yourself from the unknown things you may encounter.
3. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
You are going to need to make an insurance claim. To ensure that your claim goes through without any hitches, you are going to need evidence of the damage to your home. You can get that by taking lots of pictures. Take pictures that help give context and show the whole setting or room, and then take detailed up-close pictures of the damage to your home. The more pictures you take, the easier it will be for you to make your claim. You can take videos as well.
4. Get Rid of Standing Water
It is essential to get rid of any remaining standing water in your home. There are various ways you can get rid of standing water in your home. You can sweep it out the door, mop it up, use towels to soak it up, use a shop vacuum to suck it up, or you can use pails to scoop it out. More than likely, you will need to use a combination of those methods to get rid of the standing water.
5. Shovel Out the Mud
Flood water tends to bring a lot of mud and silt into your home. You will want to take shovels and literally shovel the mud out of your home before it has a chance to dry up. Once it dries, it will be harder to remove and can do more damage to your home.
The above steps will help get things started. Once you turn off the utilities, take pictures, get rid of standing water, and shovel out the mud, you need to start cleaning things up and protecting your space. Cleaning up after a flood is a big task; so, you may want to bring in a flood cleaning team to assist you with the process.
