Life After Water Damage

3/30/2017 (Permalink)

Life After Water Damage       
                        
            It's a great day in Hyde Park, great except you have just come home to discover that your home sweet Texas home has been damaged.

Damaged by what? One of a homeowner's worst nightmares, water. Not only do you have to deal with water in your home, but also with the water damage to your belongings. And if that wasn't bad enough you get to top it off dealing with the insurance company. Many insurance policies do not cover flood damage or water cleanup. You'll need to look over your policy well to ensure that you are covered, hopefully before disaster strikes. Once you have called your insurance company you can get moving to what matters the most to you, mitigation. Everyone hopes that the flood damage won't take everything, and with proper clean up you can get on with your life with many of your possessions as well as your home still in good condition, though you may still have some things that are too damaged to be saved. Remember to take pictures of everything, this will help you with your insurance claim. Keep in mind when taking pictures that you want to show water damage to the home structure, furnishings, as well as your belongings. All the details that matter to you matter to your claim.


Now that you have all the insurance aspects are handled you're going to be eager to start water cleanup. Just keep in mind Austin, TX, safety first! Be sure you look around the structure carefully to be sure that it is safe to enter. Turn off all electric to your home, and then check out the structure to ensure that it is safe enough to go in. Once inside take care to avoid slips and other injuries while cleaning. You will also need to take steps to make sure that further damage doesn't occur, board up windows, and secure tarps or plastic over any holes you may have. Now that there is water in the home it has to come out. You can use pumps to remove that water, then just mop and blot up the remainder.
 


Any items that are soaked will have to be removed. This can be anything: carpeting, bedding, clothing, furniture. you'll have to decide that can be saved through drying and what you're going to throw away. Many items can be saved and cleaned and then some won't be worth the expense. This is likely to be far more time consuming than water in a business would be since you are going to have to go through every item you own. Remember to be safe and wear gloves and other protective gear as this water can be contaminated with bacteria as well as household chemicals.

Using a restoration company can really help with the mitigation process as they can clean and safe more of your belongings than you could on your own. Do keep in mind that the hot Austin, TX sun isn't going to do the drying itself, air movement is going to be super important to your efforts, so make sure that your home is well ventilated to ensure things dry as quickly as possible. Somethings you may want to take outside to dry. Be sure to prop things such as cushions up so they can get the maximum airflow and will be less likely to mold. Be sure that you don not try to use any electronics that have gotten wet. This will cause irreparable damage and the item will then have to be replaced rather than restored.


Yes, that house in Hyde Park looks a mess right now, but it won't take long before it starts to look like a home again. The hardest part for most people is looking through all the keepsakes that they can't replace such as pictures and thinking that there is no hope of repair. Don't worry Texas, there are options out there. A quick search online will give you hope that more can be saved than you think, not just your photos but documents as well. Just be sure that you get in touch with them quickly as mold can begin to grow in as little to 24 to 48 hours.  Be sure that you document any thing that you do throw out for your insurance company, this will help get your belongings replaced.


Sometimes you will even have to get water out of your walls. Just be sure that you take pictures of your wall before you remove any wet baseboards or wall covering. You can put small holes at floor level in your wall to allow water to escape. In summer you can turn on your air conditioner to help with air movement and drying times, if of course it is safe to do so.


Your home may be able to be lived in while being cleaned up, if so be sure that you ensure safety while doing so. Use flash lights and candles if need be to see in dark rooms. Do not eat or drink anything that has been contaminated by the flood water. If your home can't be lived in while being restored you can contact your insurance company and find out what they can do, they may cover living expenses while you can't be in your home, this is another difference between water in a home and water in a business.


While there are many things that are important to do there are also so things that it is important not to do. Just keep these things in mind and you'll have your home back in shape in no time. Visit http://www.SERVPROhydeparkcentralaustin.com for more information on the water restoration process.