How to Reduce Water Damage After a Flood

Floods can be one of the most damaging things to happen to your home. Even smaller floods can cause permanent damage to your home from lingering water.

Water infiltrates everything and even though you can’t see it, water may still be present beneath the surface of furniture, floors, carpets, and other items around the house. Thoroughly addressing water damage as soon as possible will increase the chances of recovering items that may have been affected.

If the flood is severe enough, your entire property could be affected, but if you can begin the cleanup and drying process sooner, the impact of water damage can be reduced. While this preemptive action can be effective, you’ll still want to call us to help restore any property damage.

Call Your Insurance Company

Before we get into what you can do to reduce water damage, the first step you should always take after a flood is to call your insurance company. What your insurance covers will depend on the policies you have.

At Rapid Restoration, we can help you with your insurance through our insurance claims process. Whether you want to be a part of the insurance process or not, we can help you get the most out of your insurance.

How to Reduce Water Damages

Disconnect Electronics & Appliances

It’s common knowledge that water and electricity don’t mix. If you know a bigger storm is coming, then it’s smart to disconnect and relocate any electronics and appliances just in case. If you didn’t or couldn’t do this, assess the situation and water levels and unplug any items that haven’t been affected by the flooding…

If any of your appliances have been damaged by the flood, do not attempt to unplug them until you have completely shut off the power to the entire house. Any items that can be salvaged to a safe should be relocated to a dry location. Appliances may be too large to relocate, so if possible prop them on cinder blocks above the water level.

Eliminate Standing Water

You will want to begin clearing outstanding, pooled water. This should be done as soon as conditions are safe to do so. Use buckets or any other available containers to begin clearing water. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need to call a water damage professional for complete water extraction. At Rapid restoration, we use the latest and greatest to make sure we get every bit of water out of your home to leave you worry-free!

Remove Water Damaged Items

While you’re clearing the standing water, you should begin removing items that have been damaged. Some of these items may be salvageable depending on the extent of the water damage and the type of item. Remove and relocate these items to a safe, dry location.

Begin Drying Process

You should begin the drying process in affected areas as soon as possible. When most or all of the standing water is cleared, begin drying the affected area. Depending on the amount of damage caused this process may require the services of a professional. We have the experience and specialized equipment to help extract and dry water-damaged areas more efficiently.

What Happens If Water Damage Isn’t Taken Care Of?

You never want to ignore any water damage in your home. Water damage that doesn’t get taken care of can cause more damage to your home and cost you more in the long run. By leaving the damage you could be potentially causing these problems:

• Structural Damage
• Mold and Mildew
• Unpleasant Odours
• Water Stains
• Electrical Damage

Some water damage can show vulnerabilities in your home and professionals will often fix these problems so they don’t continue to happen in the future. Regardless, if the damage came from a flood or a leak, fixing water damage as soon as you notice it can save you from further damage and money.

Why Rapid Restoration?

We know how stressful it is to have water in your home, which is why we offer 24/7 emergency services so you can call us at any. Give us a call and we’ll come out ASAP to help restore your home.

Want to learn more about what you should do in the case of a water emergency? Check out our complete guide to water damage.