Basement Flood Cleanup

April 03,2020

A flooded basement is homeowners' worst nightmare! The level of damage a flooded basement can cause your home can be catastrophic. After any water damage incident quick and decisive action minimize the damage incurred.

In this article we will inform you of three crucial aspects of basement flood clean up:

  1. Things to immediately.
  2. Cleaning measures that would save you money
  3. Drying process.

What to do?

  1. First and foremost you should never step into standing water! This is to avoid you getting electrocuted. The first thing you must do when it floods is to switch off the power at the main switch.
  2. Inform your insurance company immediately!
  3. Stop the source of water. There can be several sources of water in the basement:
  • Groundwater – there may be poor drainage around homeowner's that causes groundwater to flood the basement through cracks in the foundation. As soon as the rain ceases you should call in a waterproofing pro.
  • Sewage back up – you should stop flushing the toilets or pouring water down any drains leading to the sewage system. You should then call your local sewage authority immediately.
  • Burst pipes – should the water be coming from a malfunction in the plumbing then you should shut off the main water valve.
  • Floods – the weather has become more and more predictable, while there is nothing you can do about the rain, you can equip the decisive home to keep the rainwater outside.

Water removal

As soon as the source of the water has been controlled. You should immediately start removing the flooded water. If the water is too much to mop up then you need to hire a water pump to pump out the water fast.

Note: water damage restoration is very time-sensitive, the fast you are able to clear out the water and clean up the lesser the water damage you will incur.

it's important for you to record every preventive measure you implement for insurance purposes.

Cleaning up

Once the water has been pumped out, you will have to clean up and sort out which items are salvageable and which will have to throw out. Depending on the type of water in the flood you might have to lose all the rugs and carpets, however, if the water was clean, then the rugs and carpets can be cleaned and dried out.

While cleaning up you're should wearing:

  • protective gloves.
  • Eye protection.
  • Rubber boots.
  • A mask and nose plug especially if the flood was a sewage back up.

Drying:

The drying process should be the 1st day to prevent mold growth. Mold can grow on any moist household item or space. Mold begins to grow within 24 hours of excess moisture exposure. Mold is a proven allergen that causes respiratory allergies and triggers asthma attacks.

The fasters way to dry out any basement is to combine Alorair dehumidifiers, air scrubbers, and van to provide you with the most efficient and fast drying process. With our high capacity dehumidifiers, Alorair dehumidifier will provide you with outstanding drying results and better air quality free off mold and odors.

Repairs and replacements.

Hire a reliable contractor to repair and replace the water damage as soon as possible to avoid increased damage.