There are a lot of ways for water to get into your home and do a lot of damage. In the winter, there is a good chance of pipes freezing and then bursting which causes a lot of damage. Leaky roofs or foundations also play a big part. And a leak in a water boiler can ruin your basement.
Cleaning up takes time and a lot of patience as it dries and you have to deal with mold and mildew problems. The type of water that leaks is also going to determine how big of a project the cleanup will be and how long it will take. Clean water from a boiler is less likely to cause any long-term damage but water from a toilet can be quite complicated to deal with.
Water damage cleanup can be quite costly, so there are some parts of it that can be done yourself to save some money. Here are some ideas that can help you clean up water damage.
The carpet
A carpet is going to be a very delicate matter when trying to clean up water damage. It is an easy spot to get moldy or rot away underneath. Therefore it’s crucial to make sure that your carpet is successfully cleaned and dried so that you can move on from the damage as quickly as possible.
When trying to clean up water damage on carpets, the first order of business is to make sure that the damage isn’t from black water like sewage. If this is the case then you will most likely need to get rid of your carpet as it can be filled with dangerous bacteria.
If it’s water from a burst pipe or leaky radiator then you can usually get away with using a shop vac that can remove water a few times to dry it. Afterwards, clean it with a good vacuum. If this is not an option then consiering home carpet cleaning by a professional is always a good idea to make sure the job is done properly.
Drywall, Furniture, and Other Porous Materials
If your drywall, furniture, or any other porous material was water damaged, it will have to be removed.
This especially includes any drywall that absorbed water. There is no drying it out and recovering this plaster at all. It will all have to come down. The best that you can hope for is that you can saw the bottom half off and keep the top half intact.
The asSme holds true for furniture. When trying to clean up water damage, any furniture that absorbed water will have to be thrown away. This is because wood and other materials warp when they get waterlogged and simply will not recover.
The other issue is that mildew and mold will get a foothold in the pores of the material. Wood and other soft materials like plaster will end up as a breeding ground for mold with no remedy at all.