If your home suffers from water damage caused by flood or a leaky pipe, the first thing you’ll want to do is to move all belongings from the affected and save as many items as you can. Nobody wants to lose their important belongings. As a result, here’s how you can salvage your valuables from water damage, while making sure they will still work just fine.
Electronics
Water and electronics don’t mix. However, when they do, it can be a devastating and even life threatening experience. More often than not, water will destroy electronic devices. Nonetheless, depending on the submersion level and whether or not they are plugged to a power source during the flood plays a factor. If your electronic device has come into contact with water while it’s plugged in or switched on, it could be a hopeless situation. In spite of that, if the water did not reach the internal hardware right away, you may be able to salvage it.
When attempting to save an electronic device from water damage; the first thing you should do is to turn off the device, remove plug from wall outlet, and if they have batteries, remove them immediately. Wipe the electronics down with a soft dry cloth and clean the water residue with cotton swabs and a cleaning solution. Next, dry your gadget with a soft dry cloth to rid of all surface water; however, to internally dry electronic devices it is shown that placing the item in rice will expedite drying. Seek a professional to avoid any dangers or damages and have a higher chance at saving your electronics.
Furniture
A house isn’t complete without furniture. If there’s a flood in your home, they can easily get damaged, especially wooden ones. To restore your wooden furniture, you’ll need to dry it and place it in a room with good air circulation and warm temperature. You may turn on the fans and heating to hasten the process. If there are white spots in the furniture, you can treat them with baking soda and toothpaste, simply polish them with dry cotton fabric. For black spots, you can use a bleach solution and give it a new coating.
If you plan to save your upholstered furniture such as chairs and couches, they’ll require drying and cleaning as well. To kill bacteria and pathogens, high pressure with very high-temperature water treats the bacteria and pathogens. They can then be dried properly and placed in a room where dehumidifiers and/or air movers are circulating. If the water has soaked into the furniture for an extended period of time, they may need to be removed to be cleaned, dried and treated properly.
Paper Items
Paper is most fragile when wet. To save your paper items from destruction by water damage, you’ll need to handle them carefully. To recover them, it is required to air dry your paper items such as important documents, books, photographs, etc. There may be some physical distortions as a result, however, the most important thing is you’ll be able to save your documents.
After drying, it needs to be cleaned and removed of mold and debris in affected area and/or papers. You may use a dry cloth or a bottle brush to clean damaged books and documents that have been exposed to black water or Class 3 water, they’ll need to be sterilized via Gamma Radiation to protect your immune system. However, if it’s too risky or daunting, another option is to ask a professional to handle the recovery aspect. Your health and safety should be your first priority.
Textile
When attempting to recover water-damaged textiles, certain precautions need to be met to protect yourself from soiled textiles. They can be dusty and smelly, it is important to wear a mask and gloves when doing this procedure. First, discard unsalvageable textiles and keep the ones you can still save. In this case, drying the textiles won’t be enough to get rid of waste and contamination. You’ll need to disinfect them using bleach and before you wash them, make sure to sanitize your washing machine with chlorine bleach, detergent, and hot water to avoid sewage contamination. When drying the textiles, use a regular setting and hang them outside to dry.
Once they are completely dry, you can iron them or better yet, steam press them to help kill germs and bacteria. If you are not sure if you can clean and disinfect them safely and properly, consult a professional and let them handle the dirty work for you. Most mold remediation companies have the proper knowledge and skills to provide you with the best water damage restoration outcome.
All these tips can help you save important items after water damage, if you’re the type looking to prevent further damages to your properties or simply want to make the restoration process as smooth and quickly as possible, you can always rely on a reputable water damage restoration company.