Cleaning Up A Flooded Basement

By Author: Leo Nov
Total Articles: 883
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An area most affected after a water incident such as flood is the basement. Cleaning up a flooded basement is never easy and it might take a long time and dent your finances. Even worse, flooding in the basement exposes you and the rest of the home's occupants to the risk of disease caused by mold and mildew. Expensive as it might be, it might make more sense to seek professional help in cleaning up your basement.

The first thing you need to do once your basement has been flooded is to assess the extent of damage. While you can do this yourself, you need to contact your insurance broker as a matter of urgency to help you in assessing the extent of the damage and also the extent of the claim you could make with your insurance company. At this point too, it is important to contact a water damage restoration expert who will be able to tell you what can be salvaged and what cannot. A water damage restoration expert offers the kind of authoritative report that your insurer will not be able to argue with.

Apart from damaging the structure and the property in it, a flooded basement carries the additional risk of exposing ...
... the occupants of the structure to disease since mold easily and quickly develops if the water is not removed as a matter of urgency. Items such as books, newspapers, stuffed animals and cardboard boxes easily absorb the water and these could be destroyed beyond repair. You might have to discard some of those things. Carpets might be salvaged but you must observe care not to expose your family to the risk of disease by bringing back to the house items that have not been properly cleaned. Where the items have come into contact with sewage water, professional help will be necessary.

Once all the water has been removed, the floors and walls must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. A professional cleaner will be able to advise on the disinfectants or bleaches to use. Should you undertake the task of disinfecting, make sure that the basement is properly aired to avoid inhaling harmful chemicals. Things should not be returned to the basement until the air in the basement has been confirmed to be completely dry.
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for water damage cleanups. To learn more about flooded basement and flooding basement, visit RestorationSOS.com