How to Dry Out a Flooded Home – One of a homeowner’s worst fears is that their home may flood. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurrence, however if you are knowledgeable and prepared, you should be able to save you home and some of the items within. Of course, the severity of the flood will play a huge roll in the next steps and what can and can’t be saved. Here are a few tips to help dry out your house, should a flood occur.
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How to Dry Out a Flooded Home
Air Movement is one of the most important things when it comes to trying to clean up from a flood. If the humidity isn’t too high, open the doors and windows, use box fans (as long as there isn’t standing water), ceilings, fans etc.
Shop Vac or Water Pumps can be used if there is still standing water within the house. If the flood wasn’t too serious, a wet/dry shop vac is a perfect and easily attainable tool to help remove the standing water from your home. You should always try to remove the water that is closest to the walls first as this will help protect your drywall from further damage. If the flood was serious, you may need to look into a water pump to pump the excess water out of the home. Water pumps can generally be rented by the hour, day or week.
Remove all wet objects as quickly as possible. This could be area rugs, laundry, furniture etc. Remove the objects and get them outdoors or do a dry area where they can start to dry and help prevent the possible growth of mold.
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Remove Moisture and Humidity from the home as soon as possible. This generally should take place immediately after the standing water has been removed. Purchase desiccants from your local hardware store and place them frequently throughout the home, paying extra attention to areas that may have a harder time receiving air flow or movement. In addition to the desiccants you can also purchase a portable dehumidifier to help dry out the air from any lingering moisture.
While in some cases construction is needed for repair, in some instances you can manage and fix the damages cause by a minor floor. Whether you had a major or minor flood, remember that acting fast is going to be key in the amount of damages that occur to your home.
If you’ve recently had a flood, have water damage within your home, or have any questions regarding the repairs or construction that may be needed, please feel free to contact one of our experts or set up a consultation.
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