What is Water or Flood Damage?
Water damage can ruin your house or other property. The extra water might affect your expensive furniture or cause electrical shortages. There are different reasons why some individuals face this problem. It can be due to:
- Natural disaster like heavy rains, storms
- Burst pipes
- Damaged sewer lines
These are some of the reasons behind major leakages. No matter what the reason might be, you need to opt for water damage restoration services. The earlier you book an appointment, the better. Or else, the situation might get worse if you do not take action in time. Water damage remediation and repair should be conducted by experienced teams, who make sure that all the water is drained and the area dried and cleaned. Professional companies can handle all kinds of complexities related to water damage cleanup processes.
Is Professional Water / Flood Damage Restoration Mandatory?
Leaking water of any kind can affect your home and your health. First of all, water ruins your belongings and household items. Secondly, it even damages the paint on your walls. Along with the damage to your property, this water affects your health as well. If the water is not cleared within a day or two, it starts to support mold growth. Therefore, the mitigation process for damage due to water is something that needs to be handled efficiently and quickly. It is not an amateur’s job, but requires an expert who can conduct the entire process within a short time frame.
How is the Restoration Process Performed?
Water or flood damage restoration procedures are not simple. From the drying phase to the repair and reconstruction, every step has multiple complexities. Sometimes, when the affected area is huge, it takes several days to tackle the problem. In general, the process consists of the following steps:
1. Damage Assessment
Once you contact a company, their representatives ask relevant questions to get an idea about the damage. These include generic questions which describe the problem. Then a team is sent over to your place. They conduct a detailed assessment on how much damage has occurred. From your rooms to your basement, every corner of the house is checked. It helps analyze the extent of the damage and reach the reason behind the problem. Moreover, the team determines the type of category the damage belongs to. After a complete assessment, the restoration steps for damage caused by the water are decided upon.
2. Water Removal and Extraction
Sometimes, people are confused about what a water damage restoration company does. Well, their first task is to remove the excess water and then dry the place. To remove water, we use large pumps and vacuums. These powerful devices can clear out gallons of water in one go. Any water accumulated on the floor or in the rooms is cleared out. All of this is done quickly so that your house doesn’t suffer more damage. Depending on the severity of the situation, the size of the pump can vary.
3. Water Damage Clean-Up and Sanitizing
After clearing out the water, we need to clean and sanitize the affected areas. From your rooms to your furniture, everything is washed and dried. Since leaking water affects your clothing, furniture items, and electronic devices, one needs to sanitize everything. Through deep cleaning, one can get rid of nasty odors as well.
In some scenarios, colonies of fungus start to settle in the water. Within 24 hours, your entire home can be contaminated, so disinfection is a must. Applying anti-microbial solutions is also beneficial.
4. Dehumidifying and Drying
Once the water is properly removed from every visible surface, it’s time to clean the hidden corners. Some points in a house are more difficult to access. So experts use less intrusive methods to dry the moisture. It includes the use of dehumidifiers, air movers and air scrubbers. These methods help in making the flood restoration process more efficient.
5. Cleanup and Approval
Water leakage causes several kinds of damages. The last part of the entire process is when we have completed removing what needs to be removed, cleaning what needs to be cleaned, and drying what needs to be dried. With your approval, your property is ready to be restored to its original appearance by a licensed contractor.
No matter how serious the damage might be, a team of professional cleaners can fix it. These steps are common in all kinds of restoration processes cause by severe floods or water leaks in roofs and basements. One cannot even leave out a single part.