What to Do After Flooding in the Home

Floods can be incredibly damaging to your home, and you will want to address that damage as quickly as possible after the flood happens. There are a few steps you can take to minimize the damage and reduce the cost of repairs. We are going to walk you through the process of what you want to do immediately after a flood hits your home.

1. Turn off the Power

If your home has been flooded, there’s a good chance that electrical systems have been severely damaged. You want to unplug those as quickly as possible so that water cannot flow freely through electrical systems. By unplugging and turning off power sources, water will have a harder time penetrating deep into electrical systems.

The second reason to turn off the power after flooding occurs is because you will eliminate the risk of electrocution. Water carries electricity very quickly, and if any electrical systems are still active, you can be electrocuted just by touching water that is connected to that system. You should turn off the electrical power from outside your home, if at all possible. You should also turn off power at the circuit breaker inside your home so that all power is shut off at the same time.

2. Get Rid of the Excess Water

The next step is to get rid of all the water in the home that you can. You may need help with this, but you want to move quickly in removing water. For lower parts of the home, you may need to pump water out, particularly in the basement. Set up a pump at the lowest level with a hose that takes the water to the outside of your house. This should get rid of water quickly and automatically.

For water at higher levels in the home, you can use buckets, mops, and squeegees to remove large amounts of water quickly. Then, get rid of any remaining water by setting up fans, turning on heating and cooling systems, and opening windows and doors. Only turn back on power when it is safe to do so, however.

3. Call for Mold Remediation

At some point in the cleaning process, you will want to check for mold. Excess water makes it easy for mold to grow in your home, so anytime there is a leak, puddle, or flooding of any kind, there is likely to be some mold growth. The longer you wait to check for mold, the worse the problem is likely to be.

It is often wise to call in a mold specialist when you suspect mold is growing in your home. A mold remediation specialist can find mold wherever it may be hiding, and they will often use electronic detecting tools that can determine how much mold is present and where it is most heavily located. Getting rid of mold quickly minimizes the problem and keeps mold from causing health issues and damaging your home.

4. Check for Structural Damage

Speaking of damage to the home, you want to look for any structural problems that might have been created by the flooding. This is especially important in homes where wood is a major component. Water can get into the wood and cause long-term issues that may be very difficult to fix. In some cases, you may need to completely replace parts of your house that have been water-damaged.

Deal first with components of the home that support the structure, like pillars and walls. Also, focus on floors that may be unsafe to use until they have been replaced or repaired. If the water damage is not too bad, you can often dry the wood out to fix the issue.

5. Clean Your Home

You also want to spend some time cleaning your home. You may want this done professionally so that your home is cleaned completely and thoroughly. Do not take the cleaning job lightly after your home has been flooded. There are cleanliness issues that need to be dealt with, and you have to be meticulous and detailed in your cleaning efforts.

You can hire professional maids who are said to be some of Manhattan’s best house cleaners. This is a job worth doing right, and if that means hiring outside help, then so be it, if that is what it takes to ensure your home is cleaned properly. Choose someone with good repetition and who is experienced at cleaning up after a flood. Proper cleaning may involve taking mats, carpets, and rugs outside to clean and tossing out items that are too severely water-damaged.

Make the cleaning job easier by moving future and other large items out of the way, and this will also expose areas where water has seeped into and left mud, dirt, and debris. The cleanup is a lengthy part of getting your house back in order, but it is not something you want to take shortcuts with. Make sure that you check every room of the house that might be affected, and you should also look for other issues as the cleaning is being done, such as electrical and mold problems in the home.  

6. Continue to be Vigilant

Finally, we want to encourage you to keep looking out for problems that you didn’t catch already, water from a flood can cause deep-seated damage that might not be apparent right away. If you aren’t sure that you got all of the water out after the flood, keep checking the areas you suspect may still hold water. Look for issues that take longer to materialize, like mold growth and minor electrical problems. Deal with these quickly and decisively so that they don’t snowball and become larger problems.

It is no fun at all having to deal with the cleanup from a flood, but if you take action quickly and follow the steps we have listed, you will have the problems sorted out quickly.