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| Tips to clean a flooded basement from the Water Damage Team To prepare early for the winter season please enjoy the following list of tips to clean a flooded basement. "Although it's easy to call a water damage specialist, there's a lot you can do on your own to clean your flooded basement and preserve your home," notes David Beavers of the Water Damage Team. "With a flood mess, acting quickly and tactfully is essential to prevent mold from growing and destroying the foundation of your home." Assess the Damage Before trying to clean anything, take a good look at your flood-damaged area. Take note of how much water is present, and how long it's been sitting there. If there is a large amount of water, you might want to consider the likelihood of you taking care of the removal on your own. Is a water removal specialist required? Turn Off Power Before touching or entering any floodwater, find a big flashlight and turn the power off. If the flood already knocked out your power, make sure the switch gets turned to off anyways just in case the power returns. This also means of course you won't have power to use water pumps or fans, and a portable power source or generator will be required. Locate Entrances Try to find any and all entrances for floodwater in the basement. Whether water is still getting in or not, make sure they're closed off so there's no chance of your basement re-filling like a fountain. This step is important and can save you a lot of time. Remove Water Before you can even think about cleaning, you need to get the sitting water out! The longer you leave water sitting, the more likely your home is getting structurally damaged. If you have a sump pump, use it. If not, consider renting or borrowing a wet shop vac if you don't own one, or just have friends help you bail out water with anything you can find. Do whatever you can to get the water out as soon as possible, time is of the essence and every minute counts. Ventilate To Help with he drying process, find any source of ventilation possible. If it's not raining, open up all the doors and windows to obtain airflow. If you have a powerful enough generator, plug in fans. This will also help prevent mold from forming in your basement and damaging your home. Large Objects After most of the water is removed, remove most or all objects in basement. Make two piles, a keep and throw away. Some items, such as furniture, have very little chance of surviving a flood without being ruined and can be put aside right away. You may want friends and family to help you with this step, as it can be a hard and emotional task. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Construction News :: home page |