6 Key Steps To Restoring And Cleaning A House After Flood Damage
Natural calamities take a destructive toll on everything getting in their path, and floods are not different. Generally, people are overwhelmed and panicked after a flood, and they are not thinking in the most cost-efficient manner.
The only thing that matters to flood-affected homeowners is to get their house looking top-notch again in no time, but they spend more time planning about redecoration instead of focusing on therapeutic work primarily.
What Should You Focus On?
Because the damage is caused by flood, you should focus on one of the most pressing and obvious issues: water damage. After a flood, most homeowners make the mistake of ignoring how deeply the flood may have damaged their house. Many of them merely focus on getting the water cleaned up, repainting the walls, and replacing the carpeted flooring. The only thing that matters at that time is that you should double-check that your house is safe.
Steps that Matter
After a flood, the water damage happens to provide ripe grounds for mold. It also affects the air quality (indoors) and may contribute to the symptomatic presentation of hay fever. So, if you don’t treat this water damage promptly, it might become a health hazard for you and your family in the long run. According to a respectable plumber in Sydney, you must not delay action any further. To get you going on the vital work for your house, we have enlisted six pertinent steps you must not forget.
Get in Touch with Your Insurance Provider
This is the most prominent and straightforward step. Since you have insurance, it would be a logical step to get hold of your insurance company and let them know what happened. You should gather the information about coverage of your damages. Ask them clearly, what and how much they are going to cover for you. You mustn’t forget the bigger picture in the panic and anxiety of dealing with post-flood damages.
Outsource the Clean-Up Process
If you were toying with the idea of cleaning up the house all by yourself, STOP! To get done with the clean-up process efficiently, you should outsource this task. The house needs professional care after a flood to get all the logged-in water to be pumped out, and the workers would also clean up all the debris. The team at a Glastonbury and Wethersfield water damage service company share that if the house has a sewage leakage during the flooding, you should be exercising extra caution. So, you should call some professionals about this for proper handling.
Get Hold of a Contractor
Go for a contractor who has quite a few years of experience handling this type of job. The damage created by floodwater in your house needs professional attention, so when looking for a contractor, don’t simply take their word and believe it. You should ask questions to authenticate their credibility and experience. Don’t assume that they already know what they are talking about; ask them. You should also do a general background verification and find out the customer reviews. It is always nice to have some word-of-mouth recommendations, but you can also try to contact past clients. Some people skip the verification steps because of the rush that they feel. However, you must be selecting the right person for the restorative work in-house.
Go for Licensed Electrician
If the water level rose past the electrical panel or switches or outlets, or if it damaged any electrical fixtures, then you need the services of an electrician. You should go for a licensed provider before you turn the power on. The importance of this step cannot be emphasized enough. You do not want to jeopardize the safety of your family or yourself so take due precautions.
Get in Touch With HVAC Specialist
Flood water may have most likely inflicted some sort of damage to the cooling and heating system of your house, so it is necessary to get it thoroughly examined by an HVAC expert. You should make sure that the water did not enter heat registers or any ducts.
Get Rid of the Old Flooring
This is where the most apparent damage happens. A severely damaged old flooring by flood would mean you must replace flooring and carpeting. The flooring needs to completely dry before you can start putting in the new stuff. This is because if you don’t give the wood paneling ample time to dry out, it would mean an invitation to mold that can cause further harm in the home.
The above-enlisted steps are only to get you started because the fixing process is far too long. You should pay attention to the walls and remove insulation and drywall, and opt for an air test before moving back into your house. Also, you will probably have to completely remake the basement because it is an area that takes most of the fall. With our tips, a bit more research on your own, and lots of patience, you should be able to restore your home soon enough.
About the author
The Handyman Tips Team is a group of authors that provides tips on the Handyman Tips website. The Handyman Tips team consists of real handymen, contractors, carpenters, woodworkers, and experts in home repairs, appliance repairs, and landscaping. The team is always there for visitors to the Handyman Tips website. If you can’t find the answer to your question on the Handyman Tips website, one of them will reply to you almost immediately if you contact them through the Ask the Handyman page!