Water Damage Team Blog

Preparing for a flood is very important, but you should also prepare for handling the aftermath of the storm. Flood damage is a like a time bomb, and to prevent mold or structural damage you must do everything you can to quickly and concisely and as soon as possible. To help you learn how to handle this situation, we’ve put together this list of what to do after a household flood.

1. Do Not Re-Enter
After leaving the flooded home, do not re-enter until trained emergency workers tell you it is safe. Floodwaters can harm or damage the foundation of your home and make it an unsafe structure to reenter.

2. Take Caution When Eating
Don’t eat or drink anything that has been in contact with flood water. Flood water can and usually does contain unsanitary materials and residue which is not safe to ingest.

3. Remove Water Blockage
If you put sandbags or other blocks around your home to keep water out, remember they may also be holding water in after the flood. If the structure is safe, open windows, doors, and remove blocks to let some water out. Only approach or touch flood water or flooded areas in proper attire, (gloves, mask, boots, water proof jacket, goggles, etc).

4. Flood Insurance
If you had flood insurance, don’t move or touch anything until you’ve contacted them. This is because they must come and observe and assess the damage in it’s original state. Also be sure not to throw out anything that should be checked by the insurance associates as well.

5. Take Pictures
As hard as it is, having thorough documentation of the flood is likely to come in handy. Go throughout the home and take pictures of any and all flood-damaged areas. Check ceilings, walls, and floors diligently to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

6. Watch The Kids
It is imperative not to let children play or touch anything that floodwater has. Even if the floodwater resigns from an area, that area still has infectious bacteria that are dangerous to you and yours. Be sure to sit children down and thoroughly discuss and explain the dangers of floods, floodwater and the aftermath.

7. If You Must Leave
If for any reason you need to leave your flood-damaged home (to go to a hotel, friends, or get something to eat) be sure to secure the house before you leave. Lock all windows and doors, and try to cover up and holes or unstable structure. Although it’s regrettable, looters have been known to target flooded areas for undamaged materials in unsupervised homes.

8. Call A Professional
If you’re unsure about the water damage to your home or have water still residing in the basement or other area, call in some help. Water damage specialists can help you with a multitude of things from assessing damage, to removing water, to cleaning up the mess it leaves. Your insurance may even pay for this work as it’s preventive work that could save them money.

You never think you’re going to end up cleaning smoke damage from your walls, but accidents do happen. You should not take on this task unprepared, however, as precautions should be taken for your safety. To help you prepare for a possible future emergency or cleanup from a recent fire, we’ve compiled this list of tips to clean smoke damaged walls.

1. Gear Up
Protect yourself with the proper attire for post-fire cleanup. You’ll need long gloves, a mask, goggles, and protective clothing as well. Even if the fire is long gone, the dust and fumes in the air still aren’t good for you and you should not expose your mouth, eyes or skin to them. Also, TSP and other harsh cleaners are abrasive and harmful to the skin.

2. Prepare Cleaning Supplies
Before starting, decide what you’re going to use to clean and how much of it you’ll need. Depending on the degree of damage you may want gentler or harsher cleaners. The best thing for smoke damage at home is Trisodium Phosate Cleaner, or TSP. Also have buckets, sponges, rags and warm water on hand.

3. Get Help
Smoke damage gets everywhere, and cleaning it up can be a bigger task than you expect. The walls, ceiling, floor and furniture all need to be cleaned regardless of whether or not they look dirty. So call friends, family members, and neighbors to grab a sponge and go to work! The more hands you get, the smaller the task will seem. If you do not have people nearby who can help, then you might want to consider hiring a professional.

4. Wipe Down
Before using any cleaner, go over the area with a gentle cleanser and cloth first. This will remove anything on the top and prep the area for serious cleaning. After this is done, go over with a dry cloth and let sit for a while with the fan on.

5. Heavy Duty Cleaning
Follow the directions on the cleaner bottle and mix with the appropriate amount of warm water. Then take a scrubby sponge and go over small sections one at a time. You don’t want to go over any spots too much or one time too harshly, so be accurate in your coverage.

6. Rinse
Once you’ve done a small section with the TSP or other cleaner, go over that same section with a clean rag and clean water to rinse away the cleaner. Don’t let any cleaner sit on your walls for too long or discoloration and damage could occur.

7. Wallpaper and Paint
If wallpaper is bubbled or paint is peeling, repairs may be possible. However, certain amounts of damage aren’t worth the trouble. Either way, the walls still need to be cleaned. If your walls are beyond repair, you’ll probably need to clean, prime, and re-paint. This could end up being the easiest route no matter how damaged your walls are.

Causing a threat to your home and family, toxic mold can grow in places unseen and thrive there for weeks, months, or even years. To protect you and yours, it’s good to learn to recognize the signs of this infestation so you can properly take care of it in a safe manner. To help you educate yourself on the subject, we’ve put together this list of ways to tell of there is toxic mold in your home.

1. Stains
If there are stains on your walls or ceilings this could be a sign of toxic mold. If the area is very dark, it could be toxic and should be taken care of immediately. Mold specialists should be able to tell by looking at it or testing, so you may want to call in an expert if you’re not sure.

2. Allergies
A lot of people have allergies, but if they act up more often in your home than outdoors it’s not normal. Mold doesn’t give you allergies necessarily, rather causes allergy-like symptoms. Toxic mold will give you more intense symptoms, including headaches along with itchy eyes and sneezing.

3. Colored Spots
If there are colored spots on mold that you’ve already discovered, it could be toxic. These spots can be brown, green, or even orange in color. Of course some toxic mold is just a dark gray or black, and spreads very fast as well as changes color.

4. Smell
The smell of toxic mold is much like the smell of other mold, musty or urine-like. It’s certainly not a pleasant smell either way, so if you keep a clean home, don’t own pets, and your hallway still smells like urine- it very well may be toxic mold.

5. Circles
Toxic black mold often exhibits circular patterns or spots within the formation. These circles can be anywhere from 1 inch wide to 1 foot, and spread fairly quickly. Sometimes the circles don’t close, and make a semi-circle, or crescent shape instead, so don’t think “that’s not toxic” just because it’s not a perfect circle.

6. Moisture
Toxic mold is not likely to grow on metal, dry wood, or any other dry surface. Toxic mold can only thrive and survive in very moist or even wet locations, so if the mold you see has any of the above characteristics and also happens to be under a wet rug, it may be toxic.

7. Warnings
Before becoming toxic, mold can sometimes exhibit other forms, such as white fuzzy colonies, or even pink or orange formations instead of black. Be sure to call a specialist and describe the mold to them before trying to remove on your own. Toxic mold can be very dangerous for your health and should only be removed by a trained professional or very knowledgeable person on the subject.

Wasting water is both bad for the planet and bad on your budget, but by slightly adjusting daily routines from brushing your teeth to watering your garden, you can save hundreds of gallons per year. To recognize some of the available ways to conserve water around your home, please enjoy the following list of seven easy tips from the Water Damage Team.

1. Cleaning
When cleaning your house you should always think before you start. By filling the dishwasher all the way before you run it, you’ll save a lot of water. By washing vegetables in a bowl and scrubbing with a vegetable brush you won’t have to run the water as much.

2. Hygiene
A lot of people aren’t so willing to change their personal hygiene routine as easily as their dishwashing routine, but by adjusting a few things you can save a lot of water! Try wetting your toothbrush before you brush and not leave the water running unnecessarily, or only filling the bath half way.

3. Gardening
Adding compost to your garden soil will make it more water absorbent, and will save lots of water. Try using left over water from making tea or boiling an egg to water your garden. You can even reuse dishwasher water on non-edible plants as long as you check with your local municipality department first.

4. Outside the Home
Check anywhere around your home where water might be leaking. Are your hose connections dripping water? If so, they are cheap and easy to replace. You should also check to see if you have any sprinklers wasting water by spraying on the driveway or sidewalk.

5. Recreational Savings
You can save water outside by replace your pool filter with one that uses less water and eliminate toys that needlessly spray water. You should also avoid water activities that excessively waste water.

6. Laundry
Only do full loads of laundry, or if your washer allows, lower the water height with smaller loads. In the summer, consider hand-washing some t-shirts or sheets and hang-dry to very conservative with your energy.

7. Food and Drinks
Don’t thaw meat or other frozen products with running water, instead put them in the fridge to defrost. Chill water in the fridge rather than running the faucet or using ice cubes. Try switching to plastic ice cubes instead of ice trays; they’re both water conscious and attractive. If you have a lot of dishes to wash you could put them all a sink of soapy water and let it sit for a while before washing. Then, you save water by avoiding unnecessary scrubbing.