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How to Deal with Water Damage in Your Home

Unfortunately, water damage is one of the worst types of damage because it seems to go everywhere. Depending on the extent of your damage, it can affect plug sockets, furniture, walls, and lots more besides. Where do you even start the recovery process?

Whether caused by adverse weather conditions or a burst pipe, here are some simple steps to not only help your home but protect your wallets and family members too!

Protect All Residents 

First and foremost, your priority should be to protect all residents of the property. You can do this by wearing protective clothing (rubber boots and gloves), switching off the power, and moving valuables to a safe location. In particular, turning the power off eliminates the risk of water coming into contact with electricity.

Contact Professionals 

If you’re thinking about claiming on insurance, contact a professional recovery service so that they can assess the damage. While you might think that insurance companies are on your side, their priority is normally profit (and their end-of-year party). When an adjuster visits your home, they will look for reasons to not pay out the amount you deserve. Therefore, it’s best to have a professional on your side.

Speak with the Insurance Company 

After contacting the insurance company, they will send an adjuster to your home. As the professional cleanup service will recommend, take pictures of all valuables before touching anything. It’s easier to paint a picture with evidence rather than having to tell the adjuster how bad the water damage was in your home. In all honesty, you cannot have too many pictures. Photograph all valuables before cleaning anything up as well as what they look like after the cleanup operation. Since not all policies cover flood damage, it’s important to read your policy before proceeding.

Remove All Water

Once you’ve spoken to the insurance company, you can begin the cleaning process whether you’re going this alone or working with professionals. First, you’ll need to remove as much standing water as possible. From here, use dehumidifiers to remove all humidity from your home. Those lucky enough to have electricity at this stage can use the air conditioner to help too.

As you proceed through the drying process, keep an eye out for mold. According to many studies, the risk of mold reduces significantly if you can start drying within 24 hours. From here, completely dry your property within a few days and you shouldn’t have too many mold issues. The longer you leave the water in your property, the longer you encourage mold to grow.

Make Tough Decisions 

With a dry home, you then need to decide what can be restored and what needs to be thrown away. When choosing, remember that damp furniture and other materials can grow mold. For example, a sofa still wet inside will harbor mold. Over time, this will spread to other items in the home. Therefore, speak with the professionals and gauge their opinions regarding particular items.

Depending on the damage, you may also need to replace carpets and even walls. If major work is required for your home, don’t go it alone. Talk to experts of water damage restoration Orlando and get their assistance during this sensitive time.

Never move back into a property without the appropriate confirmation from the construction company and the insurance company. Especially when natural disasters have caused the disruption, you need to know that it’s safe before you can return. Good luck!