Whether it’s from severe weather or a burst pipe, water damage can be catastrophic to a home. Your home’s structure can be damaged by severe flooding, as can many of your belongings. The good news is that professional residential cleaning services can often fix water damage to your home if you act quickly.
What You Can Do
Find the source of the water
The first thing to do when your home is faced with flood damage is to find the source of the water. If the damage is coming from a leaky or burst pipe, shut your water off. If you have grey water coming from a leaky appliance such as a dishwasher, shut down the appliance and unplug it. If you’re not sure where the water is coming from, it’s recommended to contact a plumbing service.
Remove belongings from flood area
Next, remove anything from the area that can be damaged by water or that can be salvaged. This includes important documents, photos, paintings, and wooden furniture. Electronics and appliances should also be unplugged and safely removed from the area. If the flooding occurred during the spring and summer, you might be able to safely place these belongings outside in the sun to let them dry. Otherwise, placing them next to large fans in a dry area may also help to dry out your belongings. If you’re unsure how to remove items from the area, like electronics, it is recommended to speak to a professional electrician.
Dry the area
Your next step will be to dry any wet carpet as thoroughly as you can. This should be done within 48 hours (about 2 days) of the flooding to prevent any mold growth. The kinds of industrial-strength fans that you might have used to dry your belongings can come in handy here, as can wet vacuums, mops, and towels. Be mindful to avoid walking on wet carpet whenever possible.
When to Call a Professional
When it comes to cleaning a water-damaged carpet, there’s only so much you can do on your own. Even if you’ve successfully dried out your carpet, it’s recommended to contact residential cleaning services to make sure your floors and carpets are clear of mold spores, dirt, dander, and any excess water that you may have missed. Benefits of calling a professional immediately include:
- A residential cleaning service can prevent costly repairs by using drying fans to dry walls and baseboards, applying treatments to inhibit mold growth, etc.
- Ensuring your baseboards are mold-free will prevent the need to cut out walls and baseboards, which will save you money in the long run.
- If it has come to the point where your walls and baseboards cannot be saved, they can cut out the areas for you and apply treatments to avoid mold growth.
Water-damaged carpets can pose a number of serious problems to you and your family. If you’ve recently had problems with flooding or a burst pipe, or need other emergency cleaning services, contact Canadian Carpet Cleaning today to make sure that your carpeted surfaces stay in good condition.