Recent flooding in several areas of the country reminds us that many of our homes are vulnerable when it comes to heavy rains, failed dams and levees, and broken water mains.  Cleaning up flooding in houses and properties requires the expertise of a professional restoration company to protect people’s health and minimize the overall property damage as much as possible.

If you experience flooding in your house or business, the first thing you should do is call a water damage restoration expert. Before the experts arrive, however, there are several things you can do to lessen the damage to your property.

When water damage restoration experts arrive, they’ll need to work in a dry environment. So, we’ve put together this list of “do’s” and “don’ts” that should help protect your home, avoid additional damage, and help us get the job done as quickly as possible.

Follow these helpful tips if there is water damage in your home:

1. Since damage from water and bacteria growth can begin within hours, remove as much water as possible by mopping and blotting.

2. Remove wet area rugs and floor coverings that are not attached to your floors. Do not try to remove wall to wall carpeting, however.

3. Lift drapes and curtains off the floor and loop them through a coat hanger. Hang the coat hanger from your drapery rods.

4. For furniture, wipe and blot as much as possible with towels. Prop up wet furniture cushions for even drying.  Place aluminum foil under the legs of your furniture.

5. Move art, photos and other keepsakes to a safe and dry location.

6. Don’t remove books from shelves; instead, pack them tightly to prevent the pages from warping until the experts can begin specialized drying.

7. Open drawers, doors and cupboards to allow for drying.

Here are some things you should not do:

1. Don’t enter rooms that have standing water until you are certain that electricity has been turned off.

2. Your household vacuum won’t work to remove water, so don’t try using it. Leave heavy-duty water extraction to the pros and their specialized equipment.

3. Wet carpeting can be extremely heavy and harbor hazardous bacteria, so don’t lift out tacked-down carpet without professional help.

4. Refrain from using electrical appliances while on web carpeting or flooring.

5. Don’t disturb any visible mold

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.