Emergency Water Damage Removal

In the majority of cases if there has been some kind of water disaster such as a flood or a failure of the water mains pipe that has resulted in significant damage to the home or property it is going to be crisis time. An emergency water damage restoration is going to have to be organized and you are going to have to rely on the help of water damage specialists very quickly.

You will need to know what kinds of services you are looking for the restoration company to be able to provide so that you can be sure the necessary help is available. Some essential features to look for include:

• A 24 hour service from the company where you can rely on help any time day or night.
• Water extraction.
• Mold remediation.
• Drying of the structure that includes all aspects of the home – the structure and the contents.
• A dehumidifying service.
• Sanitization and disinfectant service.
• Pack-out and pack back of the household contents. This includes off-site storage.

Tasks such as water extraction can be major operations, particularly if you live in an area that is prone to such natural disasters as hurricanes or floods. An emergency water extraction should be undertaken by professionals who know what they are doing. The sooner the water is removed from the property the greater the chance that belongings ill be able to be salvaged.

The reason why you want to choose a company who offers full 24 hour service is because water can destroy things in a matter of hours and these hours might make the difference between saving and losing valuable possessions.

The water damage doesn’t necessarily have to be confined to the home for an emergency call out to a restoration company to be necessary. Vehicle water damage is also an occasion where the very best of help will be required with techniques required to dry out the car motor as well as the interior of the car itself. Just because the vehicle has been completely flooded doesn’t necessarily mean that the car is destroyed.

Removing the water from the vehicle is only the first step with drying out the interior essential. If mold is a potential problem following water damage in the home then it is a dead certainty for the car. Interior surfaces provide the ideal conditions for any sort of mold to form with warm conditions adding to the perfect setting.

So remember there is merit in making your call to water damage specialists a priority in times of emergency. By delaying the call you will only be making their job more difficult and less likely to succeed. A good water damage service will provide you with solutions from the moment they arrive. You should get a feeling of confidence when the emergency help arrives.

There are also some tips available on what to do when you have some drywall water damage.

Water Damaged Plaster

After a lot of water exposure to a building, regardless of the source of the water, the building must be dried out thoroughly before any kind of restoration can be done. One of the materials that exist in a lot of building is plaster so it is necessary to be aware of the kind of restoration that is required for water damaged plaster.

The good news if you’ve got plaster walls is that plaster can be dried out much more readily than other common wall surfaces such as sheetrock. Exactly ho much better it dries will depend on the plaster mix that was used when making the wall, the amount of water it has been exposed to and where in the wall the greatest damage has occurred.

If the damage to the plaster has come from clean rainwater it should be possible to save the wall. The first step I s to drain the water from the wall cavity by removing the baseboard and drilling holes in the plaster just above the floor. A word of warning here, use a cordless or battery drill when performing this task.

Remove any wet insulation from within the wall cavity. You want to ensure that the wall cavity has dried thoroughly. To speed up the drying process, open windows and doors to promote good airflow or if that’s not possible bring in fans to circulate the air.

Clean down the walls to remove any water stains and you can consider using a weak solution of Clorox and water to inhibit or remove any early stages of mold growth.

When water damages plaster it causes bubbles in the surface due to the way the lime reacts to the water. This may either be minor damage or it can involve the entire plaster coat that can then crumble away. All of the water damaged plaster should be removed and this can be done with a putty knife or a paint scraper. If the plaster surface has become too hard for the putty knife it may be necessary to use a hammer and chisel to scrape back the hard shell that has formed.

If the wall surface is painted you will have to test it to find out whether it has survived the damage. If it peels off easily when scraped with a putty knife it should be removed back until you reach a point where the paint won’t come off easily.

Once you have scraped back to undamaged plaster you can then prepare the surface and replace the plaster that has been removed with a setting-type joint compound. After refilling the plaster and letting it harden, sand it back until it is smooth and then add another layer of the compound, applying it in a direction that is perpendicular to the way it was applied with the first coat. Repeat the sanding process ensuring that the wall is completely smooth. Clean off the plaster dust and then coat the surface with a primer-sealer before painting over the patched up area.

A Whole House Dehumidifier

Humidity in the house can cause problems and high humidity can result in conditions that allows mold to take hold. This can then lead to respiratory problems stemming from mold allergies. Early and decisive steps should be taken to reduce the humidity throughout the house or business and the best way to do that is to install a whole house dehumidifier. These units will also be necessary if there has been major flood or water damage that has inundated the majority of the lower floors of the property.

You can set up a whole house dehumidifier in either the home or in an office and let it run quietly in the background. They can be bought either as stand-alone units or as an installed unit that is connected to the ducted air conditioning in the home.

The aim of a dehumidifier is to remove the moisture content from the air and a whole house dehumidifier is simply a larger scale unit that is capable of working over a larger area. The stand-alone models would be suitable for a large, open plan room that will allow the dehumidification to operate within one large room. The integrated units would be more suitable for humidity problems within a large number of rooms.

Although the smaller of the whole house dehumidifiers won’t have quite as large a coverage, although up to 2200 square feet is a large area in itself, the smaller units are usually mounted on wheels and can be moved easily from room to room.

An example of one of the smaller units is a Santa Fe RX Whole House Dehumidifier which is capable of removing up to 86 pints of moisture per day. It is a stand-alone unit and can be moved from room to room. It’s probably ideal for an area such as a library that might be experiencing problems with mold in books.

In comparison an integrated unit that gives you the option of being professionally installed into a ducted air conditioning system or left as a stand alone unit would be something like the Comfort Plus 300 Desiccant Dehumidifier. This unit is designed to remove moisture over an area of 4000 square feet. If you’ve been beset with mold problems throughout a large house or a series of school classrooms or similar sized area, something like this is ideal. Units such as this one can be run independent of the temperature. With some units the temperature is too low for the dehumidifier to operate.

After a major disaster such as flood water damage that has left large levels of moisture in the home it is necessary to begin removing the moisture from the area as quickly as possible. A whole house dehumidifier, or even a group of them working in conjunction with each other, is the kind of unit that you will want to use. They can be hired from many reputable hire companies for any period you require them.

In many cases you won’t want to have to buy a whole house dehumidifier unless the dampness problem is something that can’t be solved simply. In the end it may be cheaper to buy the dehumidifier and have it operating quietly in the background than spend thousands more on a major repair job.

More reading about dehumidifiers

A Desiccant Dehumdifier To Repair Water Damage

Ceiling Water Damage Repair

Water damage to the ceiling is the kind of problem that can begin as a minor inconvenience only to grow into a major problem if left unchecked. It is often caused by a leaking roof or eating plumbing from upstairs bathrooms. You find that water slowly runs along the rafters or down beams to the surface of the drywall ceiling and then becomes visible through a seam or corner. You might first notice a slight yellow or brown discoloration on the surface of the ceiling.

Changing the ceiling after damage is not quite as daunting a task as you may first imagine it to be. It may be a little more difficult than changing a wall after damage but only because gravity will be adding complexity to the task. In this case it is possible to make minor repairs to fix a damaged ceiling without fear of the whole thing falling on your head. Any major repairs should be made by a professional.

The moment you notice any change in color to the ceiling is the first moment that you should start investigating either the ceiling itself or the space behind the ceiling. You don't want to leave the ceiling water damage, which may only be a small problem when you first notice it, because if you ignore it, it will grow to become a major problem, perhaps even a disaster if the damage becomes so bad ceiling caves in.

The first step to take in performing a ceiling water damage repair is to find the leak and fix it. Once the leak is fixed you will have to get in behind the ceiling to assess the damage that the water has caused. This might involve removing the insulation to let it dry out. If you have caught it early enough it may be possible that you won't have to replace the ceiling drywall, it may simply need to be re-fastened, taped and plastered.

You may not be so lucky and the damage to the ceiling might mean it needs to be replaced. In this case the repair job may be similar to that of a regular drywall repair. This means cutting out the part of the drywall that is damaged, drying out the space behind the ceiling and then replacing it with a new piece of drywall. The important part of the repair is to make sure that everything behind the ceiling is completely dry. This includes the insulation and the beams and rafters in the roof.

In a lot of cases with a water damaged ceiling it won't be possible to clean the brown or yellow water stains without taking any further action. Instead you will have to use a stain sealer which is an oil based stain covering paint. Once the paint is dry complete the drywall replacement and then apply a couple more coats of ceiling paint.

All of these ceiling water damage repair tips assume that you already have a lot of experience in performing home handyman tasks. If this is not the case your best solution is to call in a water damage professional who will be better equipped to deal with the problem properly.

More information about water damage.

Hardwood Floor Water Damage
Drywall Water Damage
Water Damage Restoration For Floors and Walls

Hardwood Floor Water Damage

Repairing water damage on a hardwood floor is a task that may be necessary from time to time on a small scale with intermittent spillages or minor leaks. Alternatively you may be faced with major water damage following flood or a large body of water that has saturated your hardwood floorboards.

Repairing Minor Hardwood Floor Water Damage

If you have discovered a minor leak that has allowed water to seep onto your hardwood floorboards, there may be a single spot that has become damp and discoloured compared to the rest of your floor. In this case there are some simple steps that you can take to repair the hardwood floor water damage.

Firstly, make sure you have identified the source of the water damage and fixed it completely. Any later repair work will be for nothing if you do not seal the leak or repair the pipes from where the water is coming.

Next, you may be faced with a spot that is discoloured and possibly swollen and cracked. The wood grain has become affected by the water damage and has reacted. Dry out the affected area until it is completely dry before beginning any restoration work on it.

Begin by sanding back the affected area starting with a coarse sandpaper before moving back to a finer grit. Once the area has been sanded back and the stain edges are smooth treat the area with a wood sealant that matches the rest of the floor. Following one coat of sealant it may be necessary to sand it back before adding another coat.

Some kind of blending process may have to be done so that the damaged area winds up looking the same as the original floor.

Major Hardwood Floor Water Damage Repair

When a lot of moisture has been absorbed by a hardwood floor the most common result is that the wood expands. When the boards expand they become wider and one of two things might happen, you might have a buckled floor or you may have a floor that is cupped. In either case you are left with a seriously uneven floor.

In order to restore the water damaged hardwood floor without having to pull up the entire floor and replace it you can use a process known as
desiccant dehumidification. This is carried out by bringing in a desiccant dehumidifier which if very effective at reducing the humidity level in the air. The desiccant dehumidifier can be run under sealed conditions to completely remove the moisture from the area. In this case you are removing moisture from the floorboards.

Running a dehumidifier for an extended period will help to reduce the swollen floorboards and counteract the cupping or buckling that has taken place. As the moisture is drawn out of the air it will also be drawn out of the hardwood floorboards and they will shrink back to their normal size. Effectively you want the top surface of the floorboards and the bottom surface to be balanced in moisture content.

An illustration of a cupped wood floor

Once the floor has been properly dried and the moisture is removed from the surrounding area, the floor can be sanded back and refinished so that it is returned to its original smoothness again.
If the hardwood floor has become so buckled that it has come completely away from the subfloor to which it was attached it may be necessary to call in a hardwood floor installer to reattach the planks.

In all cases when dealing with repairing hardwood floor water damage the key to a successful restoration is to completely remove the moisture that caused the original damage in the first place. No matter how carefully you carry out your restoration, if you haven’t fixed the origin of the water the problem will return and cost you even more of both your time and money.

Here are some more water damage restoration articles

Water Damage Restoration for Floors and Walls

Drywall Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Deodorizing A Water Damaged Carpet

Water Damage In the Basement

One of those sinking feelings in the pit of your stomach will threaten to overwhelm you when you discover that the basement has a problem with water damage. It could be because of a long-undiscovered leak which could have been causing untold damage for a long time, or it could be caused by the creation of an environment that is overly humid.

In either situation you could find yourself sitting on foundations that have become structurally dangerous or there could be mold or other fungus growth taking place, breeding a potential health risk.

The basement may be damp because of moisture soaking through the foundation, it doesn’t necessarily have to have come from a leaking pipe.

The first step to repairing any water damage in the basement is to identify exactly what it is that’s causing the moisture in the first place. A leaking pipe will be the easiest contributor to identify and fix. Not so easy will be identifying that the daily activities of you and your family are causing a build up of humidity which is then collecting below the floor. The indicator that this is happening could be a mysterious recurring growth of mold or mildew.

It may be necessary to reassess how the water runs in the garden directly outside the basement. If the water is not running off away from the house it is possible that it is soaking into the ground and on into the basement through the walls. In this case it will be necessary to put in additional external drainage to move the water away from the house.

Lowering Humidity In the House

There are a number of ways to fix the humidity in your basement. Firstly, install ventilation fans in your kitchen and bathroom if they don’t already have them. These two rooms are the most humid of any other room in the house.

If ventilation is installed already, ensure it is directing the air out of the house and that it hasn’t become blocked. If you have a clothes dryer it should be vented to the outside of the house.

A poorly operating air conditioning system can fail to remove humidity which may be a contributing factor to a build up in the basement. Call a contractor to check your system to confirm it is operating properly.

If the basement becomes damp from humidity in the warmer months it may be necessary to have a dehumidifier running in the basement. It’s best to run the dehumidifier in a closed room to stop humid air from outside the house from entering the basement.

Water Damage From A Leaking Pipe

If the water damage is noticeable on the ceiling of the basement or on the walls directly below a bathroom it may indicate that the water pipes have been damaged. In this case your best course of action is to call out a plumber.

Water damage that consists of considerable mold growth can best be solved by calling a professional who specializes in mold remediation.

Naturally, the most certain way to solve a problem with water in the basement is to call out a reputable water damage restoration expert. Water restoration professionals are equipped to locate the cause of any moisture as well as being experienced in repairing damaged walls or ceilings and preventing water damage in the future.

Repair Mold Damage In Books

If you’ve suffered water damage and one of the items are your books, there are some necessary steps that you will have to take if you want to prevent mold from growing on them.

You first have to work out which books have suffered little enough damage to be saved. For those books that are completely ruined by water, or which are not valuable enough to save, discard them immediately. For those books that contain valuable information that you think you will want at a later date, photocopy the pages and then discard the originals. For those books that you will want to save, freeze the books. Mold cannot grow when it has been frozen.

Air-drying the books may be an option, but do so following these stops:

• Fan books open and stand on top or bottom edge; never stand them on the front edge.
• Stand books on driest edge first to provide support. As the book dries turn it upside-down to the opposite edge every few hours.

Place a sheet of waxed paper larger than the pages between the front and back cover and adjacent page before standing on edges. Replace the interleaving as it becomes saturated.

When the book is no longer wet, but still cool to the touch, close and place on a solid surface with a slight weight to keep distortion to a minimum. Check frequently to ensure that no mold is growing.

Repair Mold Damaged Books

If you have not moved quickly enough to prevent mold damage in the first place, or if the books have been stored in a damp environment and have become mold damaged over time, there are some steps available to you to perform mold damage restoration.

Mold damage on the cover or spine of the book can be addressed by removing the cover of the book and retaining the pages within. If the mold is heavy but has only affected the dustjacket then your restoration may simply be a matter of removing the jacket and discarding it. You will have to do a thorough inspection of the inner pages of the book to ensure that the pages have not also become mold damaged. If you hate the thought of coverless books in your bookshelves, you may have to decide on getting the books professionally rebound.

If the mold damage on the cover is only light, you will have to remove the mold by first brushing the mold from the cover. You will then be required to sponge the cover down with a water, bleach and detergent mix. The idea is to destroy the mold spores that may be left behind, so after washing down the cover, leave the book out in the sun to completely dry.

The more difficult mold restoration of books comes when dealing with mold on the inside pages of the book. It is very likely that books with mold damage on the pages will not be salvageable but there are some steps to take to try.

Firstly, brush off any visible mold. Follow this up with a light sponge with the water, bleach and detergent mixture over the contaminated area remaining very careful not to wet the pages too much. Leave the washed books out in the sun, pages open, so that they might dry out completely. This process should be completed page by page as necessary.

Whether or not you want to tackle this kind of mold damage restoration will depend on how valuable the books that are damaged are and how badly you need the content contained within.

As with all mold repair work you should be aware of the safety issues involved and make sure you have equipped yourself with the proper personal protection equipment.

Restoring the Home From Mold Damage

When performing a water restoration one of the biggest dangers is preventing mold. However, sometimes one of the first indicators that you've even got a water damage problem is the appearance of mold growth. This leaves you with the problem of attempting to clean up the mold. Here are some safety tips with suggestions on the personal protective equipment you should wear. The primary function of personal protective equipment (PPE) is to limit mold exposure.

If a remediation job disturbs mold, and mold spores then become airborne, there will be an increase in the risk of respiratory exposure. Actions likely to stir up mold include breaking moldy porous materials such as wallboard, using invasive procedures to examine or remediate mold growth in wall cavities, stripping or peeling wallpaper to remove it, and using fans to dry items.

Gloves
Gloves protect the skin from contact with mold. They also protect the skin from potentially irritating cleaning solutions. Long gloves that extend to the middle of the forearm are recommended.

The material from which gloves are made should be suited to the type of materials being handled. If you choose to use a biocide, such as chlorine bleach, or a strong cleaning solution, gloves should be made from natural rubber, neoprene, nitrile, polyurethane, or polyvinylchloride (PVC). If a mild detergent is being used, ordinary household rubber gloves are suitable. The routine use of biocides is not recommended.

Goggles

Properly fitted goggles or full-face respirators provide eye protection. Goggles must be designed to keep out dust and small particles. Safety glasses or goggles that have open vent holes are not suitable and won't provide you with complete protection for the job.

Respirators
Respirators protect remediation workers from inhaling airborne mold, mold spores, and dust. Three types of respiratory protection are described: minimum, limited, and full. Only respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) should be worn during mold remediation. These respirators must be used according to any applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

You only really need to wear minimal personal protective equipment when cleaning up a small area affected by mold (less than 10 square feet total). Minimum PPE includes gloves, goggles/eye protection and an N-95 respirator. An N-95 respirator covers the nose and mouth, filters out 95 percent of airborne particulates, and is available in most hardware stores. It does not provide eye protection.

Limited PPE includes the use of half-face or full-face air purifying respirators (APRs) equipped with P100 filter cartridges. These respirators have inhalation and exhalation valves that filter the air and ensure it is free of mold particles. The P100 filters do not remove vapors or gases, and the half-face APRs do not protect the wearer's eyes. Limited PPE may be warranted when the total surface area affected by mold is between 10 and 100 square feet. Professional judgment should be used to make the final determination about whether to wear limited PPE.

Full PPE includes a full-face, powered air purifying respirator (PAPR). It is recommended when more than 100 square feet of mold is found, which means that there is very likely going to be high levels of airborne dust or mold spores present, or when intense or long-term exposures are expected. A powered air purifying respirator uses a blower to force air through a P100 filter. The filtered air is supplied to a mask that covers the wearer's face or a hood that covers the entire head. Positive pressure within the hood prevents unfiltered air from entering through penetrations or gaps. Individuals must be trained to use their respirators before they begin remediation.

Disposable clothing is recommended for medium and large remediation projects. It prevents the transfer and spread of mold to clothing and eliminates skin contact with mold. When limited protection is warranted, disposable paper coveralls can be used. When full protection is required, a body suit of breathable material, such as TYVEK, and mold-impervious disposable head and foot coverings should be used. All gaps, such as those around ankles and wrists, should be sealed. (Many remediators use duct tape to seal clothing.)

If some of the measures specified above appear too daunting a task to tackle yourself, it would be advisable to get in touch with professional water damage contractors who will be well trained in cleaning up this kind of mold damage. Sometimes the most wise course of action is to stand aside and allow those who are best equipped to deal with the problem, especially when your personal safety is at stake.

Water Damage Restoration For Floors and Walls

A flood or failed plumbing eventually winds up on the floors and possibly creeping into the walls. Techniques to restore flooring will alter slightly depending on the type of floor covering that has been damaged. However, in each case the big danger is mold or mildew taking hold. The drying process should be started immediately and after that, it's up to you whether you call in the water damage restoration experts or attempt to dry your belongings yourself. If you don't feel comfortable with the work that may be required to comelete the restoration job then you first task is to call in the water damage specialists.

Failing any of these restoration solutions the final option may well be to come up with inexpensive flooring to replace the flooded floor.

Restoring Hardwood Floors After Water Damage

Bearing the brunt of major water damage, hardwood floors will run the risk of suffering severe damage owing to swelling and buckling unless expert restoration is done. A water damage restoration company can control the drying time to fix hardwood floor water damage with a couple of simple techniques such as forcing air through the undersides of the floorboards.

Another successful technique employed by restoration companies is to alleviate the pressure built up by the swollen floorboards by removing a board every few feet. Taking the pressure out of the floor lowers the risk that the boards will buckle during the drying process.

So how should you dry water damaged hardwood floors? The best method is to create good air circulation in the room. Open windows and doors and turn on fans to help move the air around the room faster. By creating air flow in the room the evaporation process will begin, moving out the moisture loaded air and moving in dry air.

Air drying can be a slow process when trying to dry out water damaged floors but it is also the most inexpensive. The trick is to start the process as early as possible after the floor has become wet.

Laminate Water Damage

If your laminate floor has developed a buckle or it is warping to any degree, it could be a sign that there is some kind of water damage affecting it. Water may affect laminate flooring by getting into the subfloor where the dampness affects the laminate bond.

If you find laminate flooring water damage the affected area in the laminate must be lifted and removed. It may then be possible to cut out a replacement piece and fit it in the hole, but this is a tricky operation and will depend on the type of laminate flooring you’re trying to replace such as laminate planks, strips or tiles.

As a little tip with laminate floors, never use a wet mop to clean them because the water can seep through the joins and cause irreparable damage underneath. Rather, use either a vacuum or a broom to keep it clean. You should also avoid using abrasive cleaning liquids on the floor because it can end up scratching the floor.

Laminate floor water damage can also occur as a result of high humidity or sudden changes in humidity from low to high and back to low again. These fluctuations can cause the laminated boards to separate causing large gaps between the boards and can even result in buckling.

Drywall Water Damage

If the water has travelled high enough to start moving up the walls, then you're going to have to prepare yourself for some damage to the drywall.

The first step to restoring water damaged drywall is to pin down the extent of the damage that you have to fix. Your first determination has to be whether the damage is small enough that you can repair it yourself or if it is so extensive you will have to call in the restoration professionals.

If the damage is manageable you will have to cut out the damaged section of the wall. This serves two purposes: first, the wall will have started to swell and break down if the floodwater levels were high for any period of time; second, you want to get ventilation into the wall cavity to dry out the space completely.

Once the remaining wall is dry you can install a drywall patch over the hole. If the hole is a significant size you may need plywood backing. But the drywall replacement job is the same as a normal drywall patch.

If you think your home may be prone to more flooding, it might be an idea to buy a water-resistant drywall patch to avoid having to go through another traumatic water restoration project.

Carpet Water Damage

A nightmare to restore and, if we are talking about water damage from a flood, be prepared to lose the underlay and maybe even the entire carpet too. The job of a good water damage restoration expert is to dry the carpet quickly without destroying the shape of the carpet (it may stretch or shrink if not restored properly).

As a simple rule of thumb, if you are unable to dry your carpet within 48 hours after the water damage occurred the carpet should be discarded. And if the carpet has been contaminated with sewage or gray water, it must definitely be discarded.

So the first thing you need to do is to get as much water out of the carpet as quickly as possible, but do it in a way that won't cause the carpet to go out of shape. The carpet needs to be lifted and, if possible, blowers placed around the room to get the air moving. While the carpets are up have the doors and windows open or, if it is warm, make use of a dehumidifier to ensure the hard structures of the room have been completely dried out.

Only when the room has been completely dried out and the treatment of the carpet has been completed should the carpet be re-installed. Failure to do so will only invite the possibility of mold and mildew to take up residence in your house.

Rug Water Damage

A little easier to restore after water damage than carpet, a water damaged run can absorb a lot of moisture but it can be reasonably easily removed for cleaning and drying. The pile of the rug can harbor bacteria and must be thoroughly washed. In the case of some expensive rugs, specialist restoration work may be required, possibly to repair any color bleeding that may have taken place.

Quick, but controlled, drying of rugs can be achieved by taking them off site and placing them in a dedicated drying room. Proper care by professionals is recommended for treasured rugs to prevent shrinkage or the rugs going out of shape.

Water Damage Restoration

Water damage restoration is a specialist job and although the initial steps of beginning the drying process by promoting good ventilation into the house, it is a good idea to call in the water damage restoration experts as early on in the process as you can.

This article is part of the wide array of detailed information available about fire and water damage restoration on the site.

Conducting Your Own Water Damage Restoration

In order to mitigate the damage caused by either a fire or water disaster there are a few steps you can take. These can all be done while waiting for your fire and water damage restoration experts to arrive.

Water damage - some small restoration tasks to carry out:

• Circulate the air by turning on fans so that things dry quickly.
• If the outside temperature is above 60 degrees, use dehumidifiers if available.
• Mopping and blotting will remove water.
• Wipe furniture and surfaces dry.
• Draperies and curtains that are hanging to the floor should be lifted off the ground and hung up over the drapery rod.
• Get furniture legs off the floor by placing them on blocks of wood. Wet furniture cushions should be propped up to dry.
• Rugs or other floor coverings should be removed from wet areas.
• Drawers and doors should be opened to enhance drying.
• Move photos, paintings, and art objects to a safe, dry location.
• Remove wet fabrics and dry them as soon as possible. Hang furs and leather goods to dry separately at room temperature.
• Remove damp books from shelves and spread out to dry.
  

Important warnings when dealing with water damage

• Do not use an ordinary household vacuum to remove water.
• Do not use electrical appliances while on wet carpet or wet floors.
• Do not go into rooms with standing water if the electricity is still on.
• Do not lift tacked down carpet without professional help. Lifting the carpet incorrectly could promote shrinkage.
• Do not wait to call for fire and water damage restoration professional help. Damage from the water and bacteria growth can begin within hours.
  

Remember, these pieces of advice, warnings and tips are all steps you can take yourself while waiting for fire and water damage restoration experts to get to your place. Often times, your insurance company will pay for the restoration work to be carried out, but this should be confirmed before work begins.

There is quite a lot of stress surrounding any kind of disaster, particularly when you home and loved ones are involved, Fire Water Damage Restoration attempts to explain some of the options that are open to you to make things a little easier.