5 Steps to Take After Your Portland Home Suffers Water Damage
Water damage. No one wants to deal with it. Whether caused by a leaky pipe or an unexpected hurricane, water damage can quickly ruin your home and your belongings. If your home suffered water damage, there are a few steps you should take to help mitigate the damage. We discuss them below, as well as how an experienced water damage restoration company can be your best resource.
1. Turn Your Electricity Off (if it is safe to do so)
Water and electricity don’t mix so the first thing you should do before cleaning up is shut your electricity off. You should only do this if it is safe to do so. If it is safe to do so, wear the proper protective equipment such as rubber gloves and rubber boots.
If it is not safe to turn the power off yourself, call an electrician who can come out to assist you.
2. Call Your Insurance Company
The next thing you should do is call your insurance company. Calling your insurance company is your best defense in protecting yourself and what you’ll have to pay out of pocket. Take photos of the damage before you clean it up so the insurance company knows how severe the damage is.
3. Assess the Damage
Once you have a call out to your insurance company, your next step is to assess the damage. By assessing the damage, you can develop a strategy that will help you determine what your next step will be. For example, if the water damage is in a small, contained area, you might only need a few towels to get the area cleaned up.
However, for larger jobs, you might need several tools such as buckets, a wet-dry vac, a dehumidifier, and proper disinfectants. Since water damage isn’t an everyday occurrence for most homeowners, chances are you might not have this equipment handy. This is where a call to a professional water damage restoration company comes in.
4. Start the Repairs
As mentioned above, you may be able to handle small jobs yourself by placing towels down to soak up the excess water. If the water damage is severe, you should get a bucket to start collecting the water to bring it outside. Once you’ve removed the water from your home, remove your damaged belongings from the premises. You should focus on items that are upholstered, as this is where mold can commonly set in.
5. Dry Out Your Home
After you’ve removed the water, focus on drying out the affected area as much as possible. Drying your home after water damage is important because it can offset the development of mold. Mold can develop in as little as 24 hours after water damage. When it grows, it can trigger allergies and make respiratory conditions such as asthma worse. Furthermore, mold causes sleep disorders and even anxiety and depression.
You can dry your home in several ways. If the temperatures allow, open up the windows in the damaged room to allow for a cross-breeze. If this isn’t possible, turn on your air conditioner. You will also want to use a dehumidifier to soak up the excess moisture. Studies show that drying your home within the first 24 hours after water damage significantly lowered the risk of mold growth.
How a Professional Water Removal Company Can Help
Some jobs are just too big for you to handle on your own. This is where the assistance of a water damage restoration team comes in handy. Hiring a water damage restoration company has several benefits. First, they can categorize the type of water damage so they know how to properly clean and disinfect. Second, they have all the equipment you need to properly clean up the mess. This includes everything from air movers to dehumidifiers and wet-dry vacs. Last, a water restoration company can make repairs to damaged floors, drywall, and other areas of your home that may have been damaged in the flood or leak.
Hiring a water damage restoration professional after water damage is your best defense against mold development and restoring your home to the way it was. Taking these five steps can help mitigate the damage until the pros arrive.
Did Your Home Suffer Unexpected Water Damage? Call the Water Damage Removal Pros at PNW Restoration For Help
Suffering unexpected water damage is overwhelming. However, with help from PNW Restoration, it doesn’t have to be. The water removal technicians at PNW Restoration have the tools and resources needed to clean up the mess and get your home back to normal. Call us today at 971-247-3470 to schedule a water damage restoration appointment. We also offer 24/7 services in the event of an emergency.
