A flood in your home can be devastating, and if left for too long, water can have significant long-term impacts on the structural integrity of your home and the contents inside. Whether the flood begins as a small leak, or it’s the result of a weather disaster or burst pipe, you need to act quickly to make sure that you can salvage as much as possible following water damage. The best option is to call a water damage restoration company to help. Here’s the process of restoring your home after you discover water damage.

Extraction

The first thing you need to do is remove any existing water that is in your home. This might be achieved with pumps or other technology, but it’s vital that you get the water out of your home as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.

Content Salvage & Restoration

The next step is to review all the items that were inside your home to find out which ones are damaged beyond repair and must be discarded, and which ones can be salvaged and cleaned. You might think that you can do this on your own, but different types of products and items (such as furniture, upholstery, and flooring) require different approaches to remove the water and clean up the damage. A professional water restoration company will be much more experienced in knowing what is required, and will have all the tools and equipment necessary to do the job right.

Structural Drying

Once all the visible water is removed, the next step is to dry out your actual home. Getting the structure dry often requires specialized equipment and the ability to detect water in walls, floors, and ceilings. You might not be able to see it, but if you miss it and don’t get it cleaned up correctly, it can lead to several problems for your home in the near and distant future.

Other Drying

Other specialized areas that will need to be dried include:

• Hardwood floors, which will need special attention to prevent warping
• Books and documents, which can become permanently damaged if they are not properly dried
• Furniture, which could be harboring moisture that must be removed to prevent mold and mildew growth

Finding & Removing Additional Water

A professional water restoration company should also have specialized equipment to detect moisture leaks (especially if you’re unsure where the water came from after a flood or water damage), including digital thermohygrometers, moisture locators, and infrared cameras.

The company can also work on dehumidification to prevent mold and mildew growth, and sanitization to avoid any other health issues or structural home problems later.