Basement Flood Cleanup – Tips to Help You Clean Up Your Basement After A Flood

03 Oct

Basement flood cleanup is far from being fun. Though cleaning up your basement on a regular day may bring along some reminiscing, cleaning up after your basement gets flooded can be particularly distressing. There won’t be need nor time for reminiscing because most of your possessions may already have gotten damaged and you need to clean up the water as soon as possible to prevent long term damage.

Basement flooding can occur due to a number of possible reasons, such as leaking pipes, wastewater backups, and heavy rains. It can also occur in different levels; in some cases, your entire basement may be fully covered with water, while in some, you’ll just have some puddles to deal with. It’s not only the amount of water that should worry you, though. Even small puddles and traces of moisture on your basement walls deserve immediate attention to prevent larger and more serious problems.

Useful Tips in Basement Flood Cleanup

If the basement flood damage is not too severe and you can still do a basement flood cleanup on your own, this does not mean you can do the job alone. If you don’t want to call up your local water damage emergency service, at least enlist the help of other household members, friends, or relatives who are capable of lending a hand. If there are especially heavy items in your basement, you’re going to need more pairs of hands.

Basement water extraction is definitely the toughest, most exhausting, and most time-consuming part of the job, especially if there’s a lot of water. In fact, it would be better for you and for your home if you just hire water damage repairs pros to get the water out. If you want to save money, you can hire them for water extraction then do the cleanup by yourself afterwards.

After basement water extraction, the first order of business is to remove the larger items such as furniture or appliances that have been waterlogged. If they got damaged, take care of the problem in a separate area. All smaller items that have been damaged and are not worth keeping, especially porous materials such as cardboard and paper, should be discarded. If they’ve been in the water for quite some time, there’s a big possibility that mold is on its way.

Carpetings and rugs should be pulled up, cleaned, and dried. If they get badly soaked, it’s usually a choice between sending them to a professional carpet cleaning service or throwing them away.

Once the basement is empty, you can then start cleaning the floor, walls, stairs, and all areas that were affected by the water. Use a mild bleach to kill off any bacteria that may have grown due to the presence of dirt and water. Make sure the basement is well-ventilated while you work.

Should You Call Water Damage Specialists?

If your household budget restricts it, you may not be in a hurry to call up water damage restoration services to help with your basement flood cleanup. But there are some cases wherein calling the professionals would be the smarter move.

Major disasters include flooding caused by back-ups of wastewater, malfunctioning sump pump, or problems with the sewer system. Experts also recommend calling water damage specialists in case of flooding caused by heavy rains since flood caused by rain usually carries an unbelievable amount of waste that wouldn’t really be safe to expose yourself to. This type of water is called category C or “black water.” Thus, getting some help from the pros will ensure your own safety.

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