My Basement Is Flooded, How Do I Clean A Flooded Basement?

Solutions to handling a flooding basement

A light to moderate downpour or more–a heavy downpour– can result in a flooded basement especially if you did not take certain water damage prevention or precautions.  It could also be attributed to the location of your home and not any fault of your own.  If you live in a low-lying area your basement can become flooded with even a slight drizzle.  But whatever the case, you should set up a drainage system to counter frequent or occasional flooding in your home.

It is always recommended to get the help of a waterproofing contractor for larger problems.  But if a waterproofing contractor is not available, these initial solutions should be able to help you remove and clean water from your fooded basement and prevent further damage to property.  Just make sure that there is no structural damage that can cause accidents or injuries to you or your family.  If you’re not sure, don’t attempt to remedy the damage.

How Do I Clean Up a Flooded Basement?

Open windows and doors to let fresh air in.  It is advisable that you remove water from a flooding basement as quickly as possible.  But do this if and only if, it is safe.  If the flood was caused by a ruptured pipe, shut off the water supply.  If the water is an inch or two deep, drain it out with buckets or soak it up with mops or wet and dry vacuum.

If the water in your flooded basement is too deep, you might need an expert or professionals to determine the water damage.  Deeper water caused by floods and rains must be pumped out by a plumber, a waterproofing contractor or even the fire department.   Or consider buying a submersible water pump to have on hand.

Connect the pump to a garden hose and run the hose outdoors to a rain sewer or to a spot where it will flow away from the house and not towards it.  Then lower the pump until it touches the basement floor.  Using a heavy duty extension cord that is meant for heavy duty use, connect the pump to a neighbor’s outlet or a gas generator if you have one.  Make sure you keep away from large debris as it may get stuck in the pump.

Do take note that before doing this, request your power company to turn off the electricity to your house as water conducts electricity and might result in electrocution.  Wear proper protection such as all-weather boots and rubber gloves.

Prevent flooding basements and leaks with these simple tips

Repair Water Damage with this guide

If left unchecked, water damage as a result of leaks, dampness, seepage and similar problems can cause major home damage.  That’s why water damage cleanup done at once is recommended to prevent further problems that may cause you more money and require professional services in the future.  Water damage often occurs where we don’t see them like behind walls or under the floors.  So it’s best to check these areas regularly before damage gets too big.  Most homeowners can handle simple and quick clog fixes and repair of basic toilet trouble but nothing can prepare an amateur or a first-time homeowner for some of these water damage problems.  This guide can help you do minor fixes and repairs:

Plumbing: Before making any plumbing repair, shut off the water supply at either the main valve or the valve nearest the fixture.  Because dripping water can cause damage and create electrical hazards, even minor leaks must be repaired by a professional plumber.  But minor repairs like sealing a small crack or puncture in a waste pipe can be remedied by using an electrical tape around the pipe.  A rubber pad and a hose clamp can also be used to cover the leak.  Secure it with a C-clamp and two same size blocks of wood for larger leaks.

Damp Basement: Waterproofing the interior walls can almost always prevent moisture build-up in the basement.  Installing a window exhaust fan can also control humidity inside the room.  Clearing any clogged drains and roof gutters can also prevent leaks and seepage in the basement.  If flooding is a problem during rainy months, installing a drainage system can combat heavy flooding.  You may also regrade areas around the house so that water will flow away from the foundation.

Clogged Toilet: Place the cone of your plunger securely over the bowl’s drain hole and pump the plunger up and down vigorously.  If this does not dislodge the obstruction, wait for an hour and try it again.  If plunging fails, crank the auger’s handle clockwise to feed its snake into the hole until it meets the obstruction.  Continue cranking clockwise until the auger’s handle meets the obstruction.  If this method does not work, the problem may be the main drain.  Call a plumber if this happens.

Clogged Drain: Before using a commercial drain cleaner, try clearing a sluggish drain with a plunger.  If that fails, but there is some flow of water, you can try the drain cleaner.  Just be careful in using these chemical drain cleaners as they are caustic and poisonous.

Flooded Basement: Excess water needs to be taken out and have the room dry out completely.  Sometimes the use of water damage restoration equipment such as dehumidifiers, air machines and blowers, scrubbers for cleaning and even deodorizers are needed to clean and dry the basement properly.  Oftentimes, it is best to call a water damage cleanup and restoration company to do the job and can even be less expensive than doing the cleanup yourself.

Overview of Water Damage Companies

Overview Of Water Damage Companies

Restoring your home after water damage can be quite a tedious job. Here is a listing of water damage companies that will help to you reverse water damage.  Information provided here can also be located at the website for that company.

Cleanflood

Cleanflood.com is a 24 hour company that specializes in water damage restoration.  According to their website, they have a response time of 30 minutes.   Upon arrival, they will mitigate water damage with their state-of –the- art dehumidification and drying equipment, emergency debris removal and disposal and sanitization process. Their experienced technicians asses the extent of the damage and set to work by restoring the walls, furniture and carpets to its original condition. They are open the whole year and their top priority is to bring back your life to normal.

WaterDamageLocal.com

WaterDamageLocal is a certified company that has been approved by all insurance companies. They provide free estimates upon request and all of their technicians are certified and licensed. They are available 24/7 and will get to your home within 60 minutes of making a call to them. They work quickly to reduce restorative costs relating to water damage and also minimize the chance of mold formation.  WaterDamageLocal also offers phone consultations. They can be reached at 877-236-8221 or by visiting http://www.waterdamagelocal.com/.

Right Way Restoration Services LLC

Right Way Restoration Services provides 24 hours emergency services and are always ready to address water issues. They are a fully bonded, licensed and insured company. Right Way will assess and provide you with an evaluation of the cost for water damage clean up.   Extracting water from the floor, removing contaminated flooring, and preventing the formation of mold and mildew are some of their top priorities.  Give them a ring at 866-775-7386 or visit http://www.rightwayrestoration.com/

Water Damage Pro

Water-damage-Pro.com deem themselves as experts in assessing water damage and water extraction from residences. Their services include preventing moisture damage, odor and mildew control, content and structure restoration, disinfecting and deodorizing, sanitation work, drywall and painting, general carpentry.

PuroClean

PuroClean Water damage experts specialize in emergency water extraction, dehumidification, structural dry out and odor control. Call 877-567-7876 or visit http://www.puroclean.com/.

1-800 Water Damage

1-800-Damage is a nation wide company and their services include Crawl space drying, debris removal, emergency board ups,structural drying, water damage restoration , odor control and much more.

Listed above are some of the popular companies that clean water damage and will save you time and finish the work with excellent results.

DIY Water Damage Cleaning

Water Damage Cleanup

Water damage cleaning after a flood can be a frustrating experience. Water is capable of doing a lot of damage within a short period of time making it necessary to quickly start cleaning once it is safe.  It also needs to be done quickly to avoid health concerns like poor air quality with mold growth. You also need to remember that flood water will be contaminated with sewage water which is a fertile breeding place for disease carrying insects and termites. Choosing to delay action on repairing water damage can cause your property value to decrease.

You need not always call a professional for repairing water damage in your home. You can undertake water damage cleaning yourself by following a few basic steps.  We’ve outlined some of those below:

1. The first and foremost thing you need to do is turn off the electricity in order to avoid possible electrocution. Never step on to the wet floor without turning off the circuit brakes.
2. Try to assess the level of damage to your house. You need to see how extensive the water damage is and which areas of the house have been affected severely in order to determine what type of water restoration equipment you will need.
3. Run a dehumidifier as soon as possible in order to prevent mold formation and to take the moisture out of the air . Remember to empty the tank. You can also use high velocity fans or blowers to dry out the air and also carpets and drywall.
4. Open the windows and let fresh air come in.
5. Invest in high quality water restoration equipment.  Tools like a water extraction pump or vacuum to fix the damage to the upholstery and carpeting.  Alternately you can decide to discard carpets, drapes, upholstered furniture if you cannot entirely dry them out.
6. If you detect drywall damage, you need to inspect the drywall for any instances. You can generally dry it with a fan as long as there isn’t any swelling. If there is any swelling, you may have to replace the damaged drywall.
7. Discard mattresses and pillows.
8. Check the walls and insulation for damage.
9. Move as many valuable things as possible to higher parts of the house.
10. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to ask them to assess your damage
11. Wear protective clothing.
12. Soak and wash utensils and dishes with water and bleach.

Every minute is valuable during water damage clean up and the steps taken will depend on the severity of the damage. You need to keep safety measures in mind before embarking on cleaning after a flood and know when it may be necessary to call a professional company to repair water damage.

Are funky smells and odors ruining your carpet? Stop carpet odor today!

Clean carpet stains and smells

One of the most painstaking activities that comes along with water damaged carpet and flood damage in the home is cleaning and sanitizing the carpet and cleaning the air. Unfortunately, carpet that is water damaged will retain odors, mold, and mildew unless cleaned thoroughly. More important than just cleaning the carpet will be sanitizing the carpet to help remove funky smells. This can be accomplished with the use of carpet steam cleaners and eventually air purifiers that sterilize. Carpet steam cleaners reach very high temperatures and are extremely effective on removing nasty mold spores and mildew smells directly from carpet. Another important tool will be an air purifier to help with the mold spores that are not on the carpet so look for an air purifier that is effective at sanitizing mold, bacteria and germs.

Find the best air purifiers and carpet steam cleaners

Let’s take a look at some very effective appliances to have when you tackle water damaged carpet. These appliances will sanitize the carpet and air, making your home a safe environment for you and your family.

Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge

The Hoover F5914-900 is a relatively inexpensive upright steam cleaner and reviews show that this machine works just as well as commercial steam cleaners and is very effective at removing stains and smells.

• Powerful 12-amp motor; deep cleans with hot tap water and carpet solution
• Five spinning/scrubbing brushes clean carpets, upholstery, bare floors

• Clean Surge feature gives extra burst of cleaning solution for spots or stains
• Two water tanks separate clean from dirty water
• Brush rotation indicator; 8-foot hose; 1-year warranty

To purchase the Hoover SteamVac with Clean Surge, please visit:

Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge. $249 $149

Honeywell HHT-011 Compact Air Purifier with Permanent HEPA Filter

Finding a cheap air purifier that is effective against mold isn’t easy but the Honeywell HHT-011 Compact Air Purifier with Permanent HEPA Filter does just that. Thanks to the Hepa filter, this model removes 99% of particles including mold spores.

• Tabletop air purifier recommended for rooms up to 8 by 10 feet
• Vacuum permanent HEPA filter 4 times a year to clean
• 55 CADR; optional ionizer for extra cleaning power; washable pre-filter
• Electronic filter-clean indicator; use either horizontally or vertically
• Measures approximately 10 by 6 by 11 inches; 3-year limited warranty

To purchase the Honeywell Compact Air Purifier with HEPA filter, please visit:

Honeywell HHT-011 Compact Air Purifier with Permanent HEPA Filter $59.99 $40.95

Remove water damaged carpet with these easy steps

Steps to remove water damaged carpet

Carpet will always be one of the first items to become soaked and submerged in floodwater. Once carpet has become water soaked, you will want to act fast and immediately remove the carpet from the floor to begin the process of carpet cleaning and restoration. These steps should only be followed for carpet that has NOT come in contact with sewage water for health and safety reasons. If the floodwater contains sewage water then you have no choice but to discard the carpet as it can contain harmful bacteria and will be hazardous to the health of you and your family. If you are only dealing with rainwater, then cleaning the carpet is a likely choice. Before you start to clean however, you will first have to take different approaches to getting the carpet removed from the home depending on how the carpet is installed.

The easiest type of install to deal with in a flood situation is one where the carpet has been simply been laid on the floor and has not been attached using any glues or tacks. All you have to do in this instance is roll up the carpet and take it outside to begin cleaning. If the carpet has been installed using glue or tacks, then the process becomes a bit trickier and timelier but it is still doable. Water damaged carpet that is tacked down needs to have the tacks carefully removed before handling. Tacks are very sharp and can easily be harmful if not handled properly. Once you have the tacks removed, you can roll it up and take it outside as instructed above. Glued carpet that has become water damaged will have to be cleaned inside of the home which means that any flood water will need to be completely removed from the house before carpet cleaning begins.

Once outside, remove the padding from the carpet and discard it to speed up drying times. Padding is also inexpensive and can be easily replaced. You want to focus your time and energy on cleaning and drying the actual carpet only. A carpet steam machine is highly recommended to use to help clean the carpet and these can either be bought for personal use or rented from local stores. If you do not have access to a steam cleaner, use a scrubbing brush along with carpet shampoo or a cleanser such as Pine Sol and rinse with a garden hose. Make sure to clean both sides of the carpet.

It may take two or three cleanings to really see a difference, as well as get rid of any lingering smell or stains. You can leave the carpet out in the sun to dry but to help speed up drying times, purchase a wet-dry vac to extract excess water from the carpet. Removing water from carpet won’t happen overnight but as long as the proper techniques are used, you are sure to get your carpet back in shape in a timely fashion.