Everyone knows to take a fire seriously. Smoke in the air, visibly lapping up onto the ceiling and you are dashing outside due to possible structural collapse. And when there’s been a flood, there are supposed to be murky puddles on the ground and serious stains on your carpet. But what about that small leak from your fridge? How serious is it?
Very serious! Cause of water damage can happen gradually over time, but if ignored it can also become life-threatening very quickly. Mold can cause respiratory problems and even skin infections. It can also lead to some serious structural damage, like the slow rotting of the walls or floors in your house. All of this can become very expensive to mend.
And it's not just about mold and structural decay. Water damage also leaves behind a lot of chemical residue on things like your clothes, electronics, appliances as well as carpets and upholstery. This is why you are advised to repair water damaged areas immediately with help of professionals.
The American Society for Testing and Materials describe three different levels of water damage:
Level 1 - Low-concentration water damage: Completely dried out objects with mild evidence of swelling. Level 2 - Moderate-concentration water damage: Completely dried out objects with moderate evidence of swelling. Level 3 - High-concentration water damage: Completely dried out objects with severe evidence of swelling.
The bottom line is that water damage presents a serious threat to your home and health. It can cause significant structural damage, leave behind dangerous chemical residuals and it leaves behind a whole load of sentimental value in these things that are affected.
So here’s some pretty straightforward advice on what you need to do when it happens:
Immediately turn off all water use. Water is already leaking out at this stage so it makes sense to just cap off the whole system. Apart from turning off your water supply, you can also take a few other measures to get it completely shut down. Close the valves under and behind your sink and place something like a dry cloth over exposed outlets to stop water flow from any other place. Inspect the affected areas. If you have a water damage restoration company at hand (like us), they will usually suggest you get an insurance estimate before anything else. If you don’t do this, then it could be quite costly.
But even if you don’t have that option, the first thing you should do is to look around and see what exactly has been affected. Plumber will help to restore the water damage.
If there is mild water damage, meaning that the majority of the structure haven’t been affected by the water yet, then it’s a good time to start dusting down all your furniture and carpets. Get as much dirt as possible off, and then use a vacuum or wet-swipe to get up the rest.
If there’s any mildew present then you can use an antifungal spray like mold solution or shower cleaner to get rid of it. If there are some serious mold issues, then wear latex gloves and respirator while dealing with it. Again, a professional will also help you with this.
For the rest of your stuff, use paper towels and get up as much of the water as you can. Then spread out some newspaper to dry them off. This is pretty important because it’s going to stop any mildew or chemicals seeping into your stuff. And if you have a carpet, then you need to take it out and dry it off completely on a sunny day as well.
Also, check whether the water is coming from just one place or it’s more widespread. If it’s just in one room, then that can be a sign of a blocked drain. It might be wise to call your plumber after the cleanup to get it looked at sooner rather than later.
If you have wood floors, then you need to contact a professional water damage restoration company. You also need to make sure that affected areas are completely dried out and cleaned up. Otherwise the wood can warp and start to break down with time.
Fix the source of water damage. No matter what caused the problem in the first place, you need to get to the source of it. Usually, this means finding a leak or a pipe that’s burst. Remove as much of the damage out of your house as possible and then call a plumber or other professional who can help you with this.
Conclusion:
Get in touch with us if you are looking for restoration of water damage company. We also operate in the areas of 24 hour emergency water restoration services and flood restoration services. Also, get in touch if you want to find out how to prevent water damage .
Author Bio:- Walter Mealey
Walter is a marketing manager at EZ Flood Restoration USA. With extensive knowledge of water damage and flood restoration, he writes articles about the cause and remedy of Mold growth, remodeling Kitchen and Bathroom with latest plumbing innovation and technology, how to Crawl Space after flood, and tips to get rid of Fire and Smoke Damage. Stay updated with recent articles and grab comprehensive knowledge of common ways the flood damage affects your home and business and what proactive steps you take to overcome it as well as modern tools that can keep you alert about the happening of natural and accidental uncertainties.
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