Cleaning Up Water Damage
Water damage doesn’t sound like that big of a deal. It’s just water, right? Well, water can do a lot more damage to a home than you might think. If you have experienced a burst pipe, a leak that got out of hand, or water damage from some other source, it’s important that you know how to fix the damage properly, so you don’t cause even more issues. Here are a few dos and don’ts to help you head down the right path.
Do Include a Restoration Specialist
If you have water damage, it could be rather serious, and it can even have an impact on your home’s structure as a whole. Continuing without a professional can cause health risks, future repairs, and other problems that you just don’t want at this point. When you have professional help and advice, you have peace of mind that things are being restored correctly and the water damage will be fully taken care of when the process is complete.
Don’t Avoid Mold
Mold is unsightly and it is common when you have water damage. Sure, you can clean the mold off easily enough, but you never know if you have fully gotten the mold away from your home. The best way to prevent mold from growing when there’s water damage is to allow the area to dry as quickly as possible. That can be hard, depending on where the water damage occurs. Water might be between the walls or under the floor and it’s hard to see what the full extent of the damage is or where there might be mold growing. That’s one of the reasons why having professional help is a good idea.
Do Understand the Type of Water Damage
Water damage isn’t the same across the board and different types mean different cleanup needs. Clean water damage is the easiest kind, though it’s certainly still a mess. This kind of damage comes from a clean water source, like a burst pipe or water supply line. Gray water damage, on the other hand, comes from a source of water that could have some chemicals in it, like an appliance line. Black water damage is highly unsanitary, like a backed-up toilet or overflowing sewer line. When you know what type of water you have in your home, you can work to get the water damage taken care of in the proper manner.
Don’t Address Water Situations Around Outlets
If you have standing water in an area, you never want to enter it while the electricity to your home is still flowing. Power down the house and perhaps even shut the water source down as well to stop things from getting worse or even dangerous. You don’t want to address any water damage that could put you or others around you in danger. Water damage is bad enough, but electrical injuries are even worse.
Preventing Water Damage
There might not be a way to prevent every type of water damage in your home, but you can get a long way down the right path by having your pipes and plumbing in good working order. Contact Stephens Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning for help with plumbing maintenance. If you do have water damage, don’t worry, we can still help.