Water damages cleanup is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants operation.
Are you facing water damage cleanup? It’s one of those things that none of us want to hear about, talk about, or worry about, but if you have a flood or a leak, you can’t just wait and hope it goes away. You can’t do second-rate cleanup either. Here are the cleanup mistakes that are easy to make, and how to avoid them.
Mistake Number 1: Waiting. And Waiting.
The number one rule in water damage restoration is that timing is everything. The sooner you get the water extracted and the cleanup project underway, the less damage you’ll have as a result of the water. If you have water where it isn’t supposed to be, don’t wait. Act as soon as you find it.
Water that sits untreated will continue to damage the area including flooring, ceilings and materials below the water, walls and drywall surrounding it, furniture, appliances, and whatever else it comes in contact with. It will begin to warp, bend, soften, and decay.
But wait, that’s not all. Don’t forget about the mold. Yes, mold. It can begin to grow in less than 24 hours where water is present. That’s not a lot of time for a whole lot of mold to take hold and start to colonize. The lesson? If you have water, don’t wait. Get started on cleanup immediately.
Mistake Number 2: Using the Wrong Equipment
It is so tempting to try to manage water damage on your own with some mops, a few buckets, and a wet/dry vacuum. The trouble with this type of equipment is that it isn’t meant for the kind of mess left behind after a flood or a leak. It simply can’t handle the task.
The biggest problem with the wrong equipment is that it doesn’t do a thorough job. You can’t effectively remove all of the water and the moisture and dry the area completely without the right equipment. Having commercial water extraction equipment and drying tools is the key to successful water extraction.
Mistake Number 3: Not Hiring the Right Contractors
If you have water damage you don’t want to have a bunch of different contractors doing a variety of uncoordinated tasks to cleanup the mess. You want a united effort to make sure everything is done at the right time and in the right order.
A one-stop-shop is the best choice when you’re looking at water restoration. A company with 24/7 emergency response is critical. They also need to have licensed and experienced team of experts to make sure the job is done right the first time. You should feel comfortable that they’ll follow these basic steps:
- Emergency response to get on site as quickly as possible to evaluate the situation and assess the damage
- Water extraction using state-of-the-art technology to ensure all of the water is removed including water that you can’t see under flooring, behind walls, and inside cabinets and crawl spaces
- Drying the area to remove all excess moisture from the room and the air using drying equipment and dehumidifiers
- Cleanup of the area including carpet cleaning, drywall removal, demolition if necessary, and removal of all of your belongings for storage and restoration
- Restoration of your furniture and belongings when possible, and recommendation of discard if needed
- Moving you back into your home and finalizing cleanup to make sure your home is in the same shape it was before the water damage, or better
There are a lot of ways to go about cleaning up after you have a leak or a flood. And there are a lot of mistakes you can make in the process. The big takeaway from this is that you will have the best and most effective results, with the least amount of damage done, and the most thorough restoration by hiring a professional to manage the process.
Contact Can-Restore for help with water damage cleanup by calling (770) 735-2695 or by clicking here.
