Water damage is a serious issue, but it’s also something that many homeowners are unprepared for. Water damage happens when there is a flood or leak in your home. Luckily, there are steps to reduce the chances of dealing with water damage and the aftermath. This article will provide you with a brief guide to water damage restoration. Keep reading!
What Is Water Damage?
Water damage is a complex situation where damage to property, systems, appliances, or other house interiors happens due to water leakages. Various instances can cause water damage. This commonly includes leaking pipes, clogged gutters, and severe weather conditions, which may damage your roof—leaking rainwater into your house or causing flash floods.
To ensure your property is restored to its safe condition, make fast and high-quality water damage restoration a priority—whether you fix it yourself or hire professional water damage restoration services, such as Flood and Fire solutions. This is because water damage restoration is not only necessary for the safety of your properties but also for your and your family’s safety. If left unchecked, even small amounts of water will lead to mold formation; this alone can cause serious health hazards, such as mold spores, for anyone in your home.
Furthermore, other defects may arise due to this type of issue, such as wood rot, which could further exacerbate any preexisting problems with your home’s structure or electrical system integrity.
Signs Of Water Damage
Water damage is often unnoticeable, and the first sign of a water-damaged home is not usually obvious. To make sure that you’re well equipped with the knowledge, below are some of the signs of water damage:
- Dark and wet spots on walls or ceilings
- Musty, dump, or moldy smell
- Mold or mildew growth
- Sounds of dripping water
- Stains on furniture
- Pools and Puddles
What To Consider Before Hiring Restoration Services
When water damage hits, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed. First, you’ll be worried about the damage itself. Then you’ll probably wonder how much it will cost to fix your home. After all, there’s no shortage of companies offering water damage restoration services.
But before you get into what to look for when hiring a professional company, you should take a moment to consider whether or not hiring professionals is the better option. To help you, here are some aspects you must consider before hiring a water restoration company:
1. Severity Of The Damages
First, you should consider checking how much damage has been done to your property. This’ll allow you to decide on whether you must hire water damage restoration services or you want to do the damage restoration on your own. For example, if the damage is minor and poses little to no danger, you may be able to handle it on your own. But if the damage is severe, it would be best to hire professional water damage restoration services to ensure you don’t endanger yourself or your family while trying to fix the damage.
2. Water Volume
Before water damage restoration, you should consider looking at the amount of water you’re trying to get rid of. That’ll help you to see whether you can manage to handle it on your own or not. If the water flooded your home, you should consider calling in some experts. Calling the professionals will help ensure your property is safe from continued damage.
3. Source of Damage
One of the factors that you must consider before deciding to take matters on your own is the source of the water damage. Here are the three sources of water damage and what you should consider doing in case any of them is your case:
- Black Water: If the damage was due to black water, it’s best to call professional water restoration services. Black water usually results from burst sewer pipes or other sources of unsafe water. This is because this black water can be hazardous to health as it contains some bacteria.
- Grey Water: Grey water comes from broken appliances such as the toilet, water heater, dishwasher, or washing machine. To get rid of this water, you may do this on your own without any assistance from professional services. However, the water may be slightly contaminated. Therefore, you should take extra precautions to help make sure you’re safe from contacting any bacteria.
- Clean Water: This is the safest type of water that may have leaked from pipes or could result from rain. The fact that this water is clean and contains no harmful chemicals or contaminants means that you may handle it on your own.
Steps For Do-It-Yourself Water Damage Restoration
After looking at the various factors to consider, you may now be sure to DIY your water damage restoration. However, before starting your restoration project, take note of the following precautions to ensure your safety:
- Ensure electrical safety. If there’s no risk of electrical shock, shut off all electrical sources before starting the restoration.
- Wear personal protective equipment such as rubber gloves, boots, and eye protection.
- Wear a respirator mask if mold is present to avoid inhaling spores.
Here are the steps for a DIY water damage restoration:
1. Shut off Water Valve And Electrical Power Supply
The first step of water damage restoration is to shut off your water valve and the electrical power supply. This is because shutting off the water valve will help prevent further leaking and damage as you start the restoration process. Additionally, water and electricity are a dangerous combination. Therefore, you must shut off the electrical power supply. This ensures your safety from electrical explosions and shocks.
2. Inspect Mold before Water Damage Restoration
Inspecting for mold is critical to ensure safety as certain mold strains pose serious health risks. For minor infestations, you can remove the affected area, bag it for safe disposal, and immediately discard it. For more critical issues, stop any ventilation to prevent the spreading of contamination and consider calling a mold removal specialist to deal with the problem.
3. Identify And Repair The Source Of Water Damage
As you start the restoration process, begin by identifying the water source. Inspect all potential areas and sources for water leaks and repair them as soon as possible. It could be from a broken washing machine, a leaking water pipe, or something else. Identifying the source of water and conducting immediate repair will help prevent further water leaks and ensure the safety of your property.
4. Dry The Area
After doing the repairs, begin the drying process. In doing so, you’ll want to use a wet vacuum to remove water from the carpeting and padding. The wet vacuum is best for this because it sucks up water without leaving behind residue or damaging your floors. If the area of damage is relatively small and not very deep, you may be able to get away by using a regular shop vacuum in place of a wet/dry vacuum.
However, if there’s any standing water on your floorboards or subflooring that made its way into your crawl space, or there’s been flooding in multiple rooms, you’ll need to take more drastic measures. Dig out all affected areas with shovels and buckets until absolutely dry again before replacing any damaged drywall or flooring with new materials.
5. Remove Any Damaged Materials before Water Damage Restoration
Make sure to remove and dispose of any damaged materials. Water-damaged materials are typically prone to fungal and bacterial infestation, making them a health hazard. Therefore, it is critical to remove the damaged pieces, wrap them in a plastic bag, and dispose of them.
6. Disinfect And Clean
After drying out the infected area, clean and disinfect it thoroughly. This aids in preventing contamination, reducing stains, and removing dirt. Consider using a high-quality disinfectant to clean wallboards and sheetrock. Use homemade bleach for general surfaces.
When To Call Professional Water Damage Restoration Services
It’s not always that you’ll be able to do the restoration on your own. In such a case, you may need to call in a professional restoration service. There are numerous advantages of calling professional water dagame restoration services. This includes the following:
- Trained professionals can efficiently and effectively fix water damage issues.
- They have the proper equipment.
- It saves you time and effort.
- You can get your home’s safe condition back quicker.
If you’re unsure when you should call a professional restoration service, you can be guided by the tips below:
- When You’re Not Sure How To Do It Yourself: If you’re unfamiliar with water damage restoration, it’s best to contact professionals. This is especially true if the damage is severe or in high-traffic areas, such as your basement or kitchen.
- When You’re Not Sure Of The Extent Of The Damage: If you’re unsure of the extent of the damage, consider calling professional services.
- If You Don’t Have The Equipment: If you can’t access certain areas due to furniture or other obstacles, calling professionals with the proper equipment would be the best option. This will ensure that every damaged area will be accessible for repair.
Conclusion
Water damage can be a critical problem for every homeowner. If you want to avoid this issue and keep your home in good condition, regular maintenance is key. This means regularly checking for leaks and other problems that might lead to water damage down the road and ensuring your house has been properly insulated and sealed off from outside elements such as rainwater or snowmelt that can come through cracks in walls or windows.