Cleaning Up After A Flood

6/19/2020 (Permalink)

When storms and flooding hit, call SERVPRO to make it "Like it never even happened."

Whether a flood is caused by heavy rain, creek overflows or a sewer blockage, it can leave your business or residence in North Central Florida crippled. During time of high waters, you may have to abandon your property until the proper authorities have deemed it safe to return. And after the flood, grey or black water has receded, you’ll be left with lots of cleanup. You can either do this yourself or work in tandem with a professional restoration company to help you figure out which contents of yours can be saved and how to go about content cleaning.

Take Time to Assess
After the water has been removed, you will have to assess each piece of content on its own. Some items may be too waterlogged or mold ridden to save because of the porous material used to create it. If this is the case, your only option may be to throw away the content and possibly replace it at a later date.

Other contents may only need a little love and care to be brought back to former glory. Pieces made of non-porous material are more likely to be saved. However, even some of these items could be beyond repair, depending on how long they were sitting in the water.

Start Content Cleaning
Once you have figured out what is worth saving, you need to start your journey of cleaning your possessions. The following steps may help you through this process:

• Use proper personal protective equipment, including gloves, goggles, and masks.
• Rinse off black water by using a fresh water source
• Give the items time to dry by hanging them in the sun or using a dryer
• Hand or machine wash items based on their cleaning instructions

These four steps can help you start the process of cleaning. However, more complex items could require more preparation before the actual cleaning stage is able to take place.

Find Help
Removing water and mold from your premises can be a long and grueling process. When you turn to the help of a professional restoration service like SERVPRO of Gainesville West/Alachua County West, you take advantage of expert knowledge and top-notch equipment that may speed up your recovery. Call us today at 352-374-6589 if you need our assistance or have any questions.