Prompt, efficient water removal after a flood is vital for homeowners, ensuring that the home is safe and hygienic and ready for occupation, and to ensure water damage doesn’t get worse over time! While fast water removal is vital, it’s also best left to the pros. Inefficient water damage cleanup increases the risk of mold growth in the home as well as added damage to building materials and interior surfaces.
Before starting water removal, it’s vital that a homeowner disconnect all power supplies and electrical sources and stem the source of flooding. Steam cleaning and disinfecting carpets and other surfaces is vital, as is mold remediation after cleanup.
While it might seem like an easy task to remove water after a flood or fire, water damage cleanup is more complicated than many homeowners realize. If done incorrectly, a water-damaged home is at greater risk of mold and mildew growth, as well as damage to its framework and building materials.
To ensure your house is secure and safe for reoccupation after a flood, plumbing disaster, or fire, note some vital information about water removal and water damage cleanup, as well as mold remediation services. You can then discuss your options for repairs with a water damage cleanup company near you and ensure your home and family, or your business and its occupants, are safe!
To better understand common mistakes to avoid after a flood or other disaster, you might note some details about professional water damage restorations services. You might then appreciate why this work is best left to the pros and why it’s often more complicated than homeowners realize!
There is a difference between mold remediation services and mold cleanup; remediation refers to preventing something before it occurs. Mold remediation services include monitoring a water-damaged home or business for the risk of mold growth, ensuring that you decrease that risk as much as possible, and addressing mold growth as it occurs and before it has a chance to spread.
A mold remediation services company typically checks humidity levels during water removal and cleanup services. Those humidity levels are continuously monitored, to ensure an area is as dry as possible, thereby reducing the risk of mold growth. Proper sanitizing including steam cleaning carpets also kills developing mold spores underneath carpeting and behind walls.
As it’s often impossible to stop mold growth completely, mold remediation services ensure developing mold spores are killed as quickly as possible and before mold can spread throughout any given area. Mold remediation services are vital after any significant flood or fire. However, if mold has developed along walls or in other parts of a structure, you then need mold cleanup services!
As every flood is different, the cost of water extraction is also different from property to property! On average, a homeowner might pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for water damage cleanup after a plumbing disaster or outside flood, and commercial water damage repairs might be more expensive as commercial buildings are often larger than residential homes.
Whatever your water extraction costs, it’s vital that you invest in this service as needed, and as quickly as possible. Drywall, carpeting, and other materials absorb more water the longer you wait to call for water extraction. The more water absorbed, the more likely it is that these materials will be damaged beyond repair and the greater the risk of mold and mildew growth!
As floodwaters often contain germs, bacteria, and other contaminants, it’s also vital that these be removed and surfaces sanitized quickly and efficiently. Moving back into your home or opening the doors of your business before the structure is clean and hygienic can mean long-term health consequences and potential liable for a business owner! Your water extraction costs are then an investment in your health and the safety of your house or business.
Fire restoration services and water damage repair are similar; in some cases, you might need both water removal services and fire repair services! Large amounts of water are often used to put out a house fire and, like floodwaters, that water doesn’t just evaporate and might increase the risk of eventual mold growth in the home.
After any needed water removal services, fire restoration includes replacing materials damaged beyond repair. Carpet cleaning services remove fire suppression foam as well as residual soot and ash from flooring. Fire cleanup services wash away smoke stains from ceilings and walls while odor neutralizing services remove the smell of smoke and any lingering mildew smells.
Note a few tips for avoiding otherwise unnecessary water damage cleanup and repairs in your home:
How long does it take to repair water damage?
The extent of damage to a house or business affects the time it takes to repair water damage. Fire restoration cleanup and mold remediation services also increase repair times. Most flooded homes or businesses typically require anywhere from 3 to 6 days for full water damage cleanup and repairs.
How can you tell if your house needs water removal services?
While large floods are obvious, a home might need water removal services if you notice stains on the ceiling and along the bottom parts of walls. A musty, mildew smell in the home also typically indicates water damage. Insects are often drawn to standing water so a pest infestation might indicate a plumbing leak, as does the sound of water dripping or rushing behind walls.