Water is a basic necessity of life. However, its appearance in unusual places like your walls or ceiling is not a welcome sight. Water damage accounts for an emergency regardless of its cause, whether it’s a leaking pipe, sewage backup, or natural disasters like storms or flooding.
It can be stressful dealing with household water damage as the water continues to seep into the porous materials in your house. Therefore, other than your walls or ceiling, the furniture in your house, dry walls, and wooden floorboards are also at risk of further damage. Not to mention, the absorption of excess water can compromise the structural integrity of your property, and it may also affect the electric wiring.
It is best to leave restoration up to the water damage restoration services provider like lightthouserestorations. However, here are a few tips to get you going to minimize the damage.
Factors To Consider Before Water Damage Restoration
As simple as it may look, water damage restoration is not a straightforward job and requires precautions. Apart from walls and ceilings, water damage also affects drywalls, wood, frames, appliances, HVAC, and insulation. Therefore, it cannot be left unattended. Nevertheless, here are a few factors you should keep into consideration:
Safety Comes First
You cannot predict the extent of water damage, and excessive water seeping into the walls can wreak havoc on your building’s foundation. Hence, before you start damage control, you should take the necessary safety precautions and wear safety gear like gloves, face masks, and boots.
Types of Water
Another essential factor to remember is that you should assess the type of water you are dealing with. There are three types of water:
- Clean water: This results from leaking or burst pipelines, and the water is clean and safe to handle.
- Gray water: It is slightly dirty from washing machines, dishwashers, and clean toilets. Although it is contaminated to somewhat extent, you can clean it with proper safety precautions.
- Blackwater: It comes from sewage or flooding near rivers. This type of water is the most contaminated, contains waste and bacteria, and can lead to many health hazards. Therefore, you should let professionals handle restoration in this case.
Turn Off the Electrical Supply
One of the greatest dangers while dealing with water damage is electricity. Live wires exposed to water can lead to disastrous results. Consequently, before you begin water restoration, you should disconnect the electrical supply of the affected area.
Top Five Water Damage Restoration Process: Walk Through The Entire Process
Once you have taken all the necessary precautions and assessed the situation, you may proceed with water damage restoration. Here are five simple steps to help you control the situation before your property culminates in mold.
Shut Down The Water Source
The first step you need to take to minimize the damage is to identify the source of water damage and shut down the water supply. If you don’t address the source, the accumulating water will continue to damage.
In case of a leaking pipe that you are unequipped to handle, call a plumber to solve the problem. Your goal should be not to let water sit for too long, and the longer you leave it unattended, the water will spread through the porous surface to other areas.
Inspect for Issues Like Mold
Assess the damaged area for mold, which is a type of fungus that can grow within 24 hours in a suitable environment. You should take quick action if you find mold infestation as it spreads rapidly.
Usually, mold grows in the attic, under the carpet, or near the ceiling. However, depending on where the water has seeped through, you may find it in other areas of your house. Some strains of mold can be toxic to humans. In any case, mold is very damaging to the material it infests. In mild cases, you can cut out the area, put it in a bag, and dispose of it. Nonetheless, you should rely on a professional’s help in case of serious infestations.
Dry the Affected Area
After dealing with the water source and identifying the damaged area, you should relocate your belongings to a dry area. Furthermore, your next step is to eliminate the existing water and moisture to prevent further damage. You can use fans, dehumidifiers, or circulate air in the room to dry the damaged area. Ensure that there isn’t any humidity left after the water damage restoration.
Get Rid of Damaged Materials
If the porous materials in your house, like carpet, insulation, and fabrics, have soaked up water, you need to cut out the affected part and toss them to avoid mildew. Moreover, porous structures also include wood, drywall, and unsealed cement. Water can permanently damage these structures beyond repair or restoration. Resultantly, you might have to replace your furniture, floorboards, and other materials to minimize the structural damage to your house. Initially, you can focus on ceiling damage repair, and then you can move on and replace the damaged wood, drywall, and floor.
Clean and Disinfect
While drying can prevent bacterial growth, it does not help with the existing bacteria. Depending on the type of water, there is a risk of health hazards. Hence, clean and disinfect the area before you begin the restoration drying process after removing the affected materials. Among other options, you can use bleach or other sanitizing solution to thoroughly disinfect the area and prevent spores and bacteria from lingering.
Consult Professionals For Water Damage Restoration & Mold Remediation: Repair Residential And Commercial Properties
Although you may think you have no time to lose as mold begins to develop after 24 hours of water exposure, this possibility of mold cultivation is not as dire as taking on a task you cannot handle.
Correspondingly, in situations where you feel the problem is beyond your ability to solve, or if there are health hazards involved, you should trust a professional with the job. Professionals can inspect, clean, and restore your house and perform mold remediation with ease and technical precision that is hard to achieve by homeowners themselves.
Conclusion: Fix Your Commercial And Residential Properties With Emergency Services Provider Lighthouse Restorations
We hope this article helps you deal with any water damage you might be facing currently. In case you cannot contain the damage yourself, feel free to call for professional help from a business owner. Connect with lighthouserestorations.org for water damage restoration, fire damage restoration & mold removal today.
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