Water Damage: What Can You Do to Reduce the Moisture?

Have you been affected by a flood or water damage and you’re wondering what to do? Even though it’s hard to dry a home or a commercial building when you don’t have the required professional equipment, it’s possible to reduce the damage related to the moisture by taking a few proactive steps. Here are our professional tips to start taking action before the arrival of professionals who are qualified and experienced in cleaning up water damage.

What to do When Dealing with Water Damage?

• Be careful: In case of water damage in your building, you should always remember to be careful when dealing with this unusual situation. Indeed, while water may seem more harmless than fire, for example, the damage it causes to the building can be very significant. Certain dangers are not necessarily visible at first glance. For example, the walls and floors may crumble or collapse and injure you. If you’re unable to estimate the extent of the damage, don’t take any risks and call a cleaning professional who specializes in water damage quickly. If the situation seems safe, and depending on what your contact person tells you, the first things to do are to cut off the electricity and try to stop the water.
• Remove the things under water from the building as much as possible: Always being extremely careful of invisible hazards, you can start to remove all the objects, furniture, equipment, or important papers that are within your reach to try to save them from the water and moisture. By taking them out to an open area or leaving them in the sun, you may be able to save your property. However, you should know that mold may still develop within 24 hours following water damage. If your items are too damaged by the water, they can be placed directly in garbage bags to make the work easier for the cleaning professionals once they arrive at the scene of the incident. If you’re not sure whether one of your items is recoverable, wait for the assessment of a professional, who will explain the restoration process for each of your objects, depending on their nature. Then, place these objects in the open air, in a dry, well-ventilated place.
• Air out and dehumidify the building: To the extent possible, and trying not to create other damage, quickly air out the building by opening the doors and windows to let as much air as possible circulate in the wet rooms. Indeed, ventilation lets you start to dry the wet surfaces. To the extent possible, you can also bring in fans to complement this natural ventilation. At the time of the damage, and even long afterwards, ventilation helps reduce the growth of mold, unlike heat, which promotes the formation of mold and waterborne bacteria. Before considering putting your items back in the building, if they’re recoverable, you will also need to measure the humidity in the air using a hygrometer, a device used to analyze the humidity level.

Finally, you can start the cleanup if the premises are easily accessible, but it’s worth noting that cleaning professionals can act fast and get rid of the water quickly by using professional machines specially designed for this purpose. Your buckets and vacuum cleaners can help you deal with the water, but you can also spare yourself stress, fatigue, and uncertainty by calling qualified and experienced professionals quickly to handle this tedious cleaning task after water damage has occurred.