Did You Just Discover That Your Vacation Home Flooded? 3 Tips For Handling The Clean Up
When you have a property that spends large amounts of time empty, there is always the possibility that serious damage could occur while you are gone. Unfortunately, there are many common issues that can lead to water damage in your vacation home, and all it takes is a roof leak or burst pipe to send water flooding into your property. Once you discover water damage, it is important to act quickly to preserve the safety of your home. Take pictures of the immediate damage so that you can use them for insurance purposes. Then, use these tips to get started with the cleanup so that you can protect your property from further damage.
Remove Salvageable Items
House flooding often affects specific areas of a room, and this means that you may still have items in the house that are salvageable, such as furniture or artwork. Begin by removing anything that is dry that you hope to keep. Take these items to a dry part of the house, or you can transport them to another location if you fear that the water damage could continue to spread, such as if you need to wait for roof repairs. Once you have the items out of the house that are salvageable, you will be in a better position to assess the true extent of the damage.
Start Drying Out the Area
In most flooding cases, the water will continue to be absorbed into the building materials, such as the drywall and flooring, until it is all cleaned up. Start by sucking up any standing water using a wet/dry vacuum or sump pump. Then, you can take additional steps to remove moisture from the area, such as by opening up the windows and running fans to get air circulating. You can also use a dehumidifier to further dry out the area.
Arrange for Professional Mold Removal
Depending upon the temperature and humidity in your vacation home, mold can begin to grow within as little as one day. If there was a substantial time gap between when the leak occurred and you discovered the problem, then you will likely need to arrange for mold removal services with a company like DiBiaso's Cleaning and Restoration, Inc. Make sure a professional handles this part of the job, since special precautions must be taken to avoid spreading the mold spores, and the home must be completely cleaned to restore your property to habitable conditions.
Few things are worse than discovering that your special retreat has been compromised by flooding. Yet, knowing how to begin the cleanup process helps to minimize the damage so that you can look forward to spending your next vacation in your favorite getaway.
