Every year, flooding costs American homeowners and business owners billions of dollars. If your home floods, it’s important that you immediately take action to limit the damage.
When flooding occurs, the damage extends beyond what you can easily see, such as the sopping carpets and water-stained walls. Some of the worst aftereffects include electrical issues and weakened building materials, which can sometimes lead to problems such as softened or collapsed walls, or warped wood floors and beams, leaving your whole home less structurally sound. Regardless, water damage restoration in Village, VA is almost certainly going to need to be on your agenda.
If your home floods, here are six things you should do right away:
- Immediately shut off your main water line: If the flooding is being caused by a burst pipe or something within your home, cut the flow of water off completely until you can locate and fix the problem. Make sure you know where the valve is, even if you’ve never had flooding problems, so that if the time does come, you can shut the water off quickly.
- Turn off your power: This will help protect your house’s electrical wiring and your plugged-in appliances from being damaged by the flooding, and can also help protect you from accidental electrocution, which occasionally happens in flood situations when someone comes into contact with a wet appliance.
- Dry your stuff: Dry as much of the water as possible using a mop and towels. Move all your belongings somewhere dry. If they’re wet, dry them as best you can––for furniture, use a towel to remove as much of the moisture as possible––then move them somewhere they can dry. Don’t throw anything over the backs or arms of your furniture, or it won’t dry quickly enough, which increases its chances of molding.
- Get airflow in the house: Set fans up around the flooded area. (Once there’s no more standing water and the source of the flooding is contained, you can turn your electricity back on.) Circulating air through your house helps everything dry more quickly.
- Call your insurance provider: Don’t throw anything away. Photographically document the scene. Take more pictures than you need. And then call your insurance provider. A lot needs to be done. The extent of the damage must be assessed, and the structural damage has to be recorded. And they’ll probably also help you find a service provider for your water damage restoration work, and likely help you pay for it (depending on your deductible and the extent of the damage).
- Find a water damage restoration contractor: Even if you do not have insurance, a water damage restoration contractor can help you inspect the damage, figure out the cost of cleanup and decide which projects you can and cannot undertake on your own, which will help save you money in the long run.
We understand how frustrating and painful flooding can be. Home flooding interrupts your daily life, ruins treasured possessions and, as we all know, costs money. At King’s Cleaning Service, Inc., we have decades of experience offering water damage restoration in Village, VA, so believe us when we say we get it. If you’re suffering from the aftereffects of home flooding, give us a call, and let us help.