If you find yourself dealing with a serious water leak or flood, the first challenge is stopping any more water from entering your home. Try to identify the source of the water and determine whether you need to call a professional to repair the problem. Once you have the water stopped, you can assess whether the damage is limited enough to tackle yourself or if you’ll need a professional. If you decide to do the clean-up yourself, remember to wear rubber gloves, safety glasses, rubber boots, respirator, and other protection to prevent injury or infection. Also, check for any risk of electrical shock or gas leakage before you start.

Your two priorities will be preventing mold growth and repairing water damage. To get air moving through the area, open windows, use fans, and run dehumidifiers (don’t forget to empty the tank frequently) until everything is completely dry. Meanwhile, use a wet/dry vac to remove as much water as possible from carpets, upholstered furniture, tile and wood floors, etc., and discard any waterlogged possessions (such as papers, photos, toys) that cannot be salvaged.

If you’re lucky, you will have dried out the surfaces before mold or mildew have started to grow. To be safe, however, disinfect any surface that has been touched by standing water. (Read more….)