Home Water Damage and How to Repair It
Restoring the damage is necessary if your home has fallen victim to flooding.
If the flood was the result of a natural disaster, restoration is even more essential.
Since it's not as sanitary as water from your home, stream, river, and lake water is labeled black water.
As soon as conditions allow for it, your home will need to be looked over by an inspector.
You'll learn what needs to be repaired through the inspection.
The foundation of a house is often damaged when a flood occurs.
When inspecting water damage, it's imperative that your foundation is checked.
Failure to check it, or even not repairing it fast enough might result in the collapse of your house.
Having your home inspected immediately is very important, if not for that reason alone.
It is also possible for damage to be done to the walls and furnishings inside the house.
One of the best courses of action might be hiring a clean-up company if the damage is bad enough.
All household items that can absorb water (i.
e.
carpeting, couches, mattresses) usually need to be replaced.
These items cannot be recovered from flood damage.
The biggest reason they can't be recovered is because any item that isn't entirely dry can grow mold.
In the end, the cost of completely cleaning them is higher than just replacing them is.
However, your furnishings will be covered if you have flood coverage in your home owners insurance policy.
Disposing of your old furnishings and buying new ones is a little less painful then.
In order to start repairing the water damage right away, you should call your insurance agent as soon as you can.
It usually takes a decent amount of work to repair water damage.
Professional cleaners are used to this though, and that is why they are great to hire.
Prior to the cleaners coming into your home though, you might want to take any items that can be salvaged out of your home.
Since they don't know what has personal value, they won't be as discriminating as you would be.
Allow them to throw out everything else that you don't want to save.