If your Portland home recently suffered a flood, you likely want to know whether your belongings can be salvaged. This is not an uncommon question. In fact, it’s one of the most common questions our flood cleanup team at PNW Restoration receives.
Generally speaking, yes – your home can be salvaged after a flood. However, it’s going to depend on a few key factors.
Categories of Water
Water is water, right? Well, when it comes to a flood, the details are a little more complicated than that.
Depending on the situation, water can be placed into three categories:
- Category 1 is the safest type of water damage since it doesn’t contain any contaminants. An example of this would be if your bathroom sink overflows. This water category doesn’t take a lot of time to clean up and will have few to no health effects for people living in the house.
- Category 2 is a little more dangerous, as it does contain harmful contaminants. This includes overflowing toilets or leaks from your dishwasher or washing machine, as these items have chemical cleaning solutions and other organic matter that may be considered harmful to homeowners.
- Category 3 is the most severe and has the most capacity to harm the home’s occupants. This includes everything from sewage backups to floods. This water category usually contains dangerous toxins, pesticides, and pathogens that can cause severe illness and harm to anyone living in the home.
Experiencing a flood means you’re experiencing the highest level of contamination. The longer it goes untreated, the worse it will affect your home and your family’s health. Unlike damage from Category 1 or even Category 2 water, certain items in your home may be unsalvageable simply due to the level of contamination that they may suffer.
Time is of the Essence
If you’re trying to salvage your Portland home after a flood, time is of the essence. Think of floodwater as you would a bowl of cereal. The longer the cereal sits in milk, the soggier it will get.
Unfortunately, when it comes to flood damage, waiting too long to treat it could be the difference between saving an item and losing it. Soon after the flood ends, try and remove as much water from your property as possible. Use buckets to scoop water out. If you can, open your windows to get a cross breeze. Doing this serves two purposes. First, it will help dry out the wet area. However, it will also help slow down mold growth.
Mold grows in as little as 24 hours after being exposed to water. Couple this with the humidity inside your home, and you could be dealing with further damage that requires the help of a mold damage remediation company.
Promptly removing water from your home is essential to preserving your home’s integrity. Floodwaters can damage your home’s foundation and support beams. The sooner you get the water out and call a flood cleanup company, the better.
How Will Flood Cleanup Save My Home?
Floods aren’t an everyday occurrence for homeowners. As such, you may not have the right equipment to clean up your home correctly.
Professional flood restoration companies, on the other hand, do. When we arrive at your property, we’ll remove and treat flood water by using wet-dry vacuums, air filters, and dehumidifiers.
Overall, the flood restoration process may take a couple of days, depending on the severity of the damage. However, your flood cleanup technician will keep you updated on what’s going on during this time frame. During the flood damage restoration portion of the process, we will work on removing severely damaged items from your home and treating affected floorboards, drywall, and other affected items inside your home.
Was Your Home Damaged in a Flood? Call the Flood Cleanup Crew at PNW Restoration For Help
Dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected flood can be overwhelming. However, with the help of PNW Restoration, it doesn’t have to be.
Our flood cleanup team has the tools and experience to treat flood damage effectively. We proudly serve residents in Portland and throughout Oregon state. Call us today at 971-247-3470 to schedule an appointment.
Floods don’t wait, so neither should your call to PNW Restoration. We offer 24/7 service in the event of emergencies.
