What to Do If Your Home Has Water Damage?

Whether you have a leaking pipe or a flooded basement, the first step is to find the cause and stop any more water leaks from occurring. Plus, water damage has quicker devastating capabilities than you may imagine. The formation of mold, damage to floors, walls, and electronics, as well as structural problems, can all happen within the first 24 hours following a leak or flood. This is why it’s recommended that you speak with and get repairs from a local water-cleaning expert as soon as possible. Even better if you call a professional contracting service. You see, water damage prevention is important, but if you’ve already gotten water damage inside the home, don’t worry. 

Even a tiny leak that seems unproblematic might be problematic. Water spreads quickly and soaks into surfaces, including walls, floors, soft furniture, etc. If you ignore water damage for too long, your insurance may be unable to pay for it. Not to mention the damage to your house has the potential to be quite expensive. 

Act Within 24 Hours

Everything nearby will become drenched as a leak or flood spreads. Personal items like books and photos will thus deform and swell permanently. Walls, floors, furniture, soft furnishings, and carpeting will start collecting water. Furniture, wooden doors, window frames, drywall, and other items are all at risk. 

Paint and wallpaper have the potential to harm electrical systems. The wallpapers can themselves begin to peel or blister. If there is even a tiny leak in your roof, water can enter through ceilings and harm wooden beams and insulation. 

However, the most concerning thing are that mold might grow within this time frame. Once it starts to grow, you and your family are at risk of some severe health issues. Water damage cleaning will prevent mold from developing in your home. 

What You Should Do Within the First Few Weeks of a Water-Damaged Home?

The water damage will start to get worse as more and more time goes by. Mold has a high potential for spread at a breakneck pace, making the area a biohazard. Wood surfaces and walls sustain more damage, while metal surfaces may begin to rust.

If water damage is ignored for longer than a week, more time, money, and effort will be required for any repair work. The dangers of structural damage increase with the effects of mold growth and other problems. Thus, the process of water damage restoration should start ASAP. 

Assess the Amount of Water Damage Your Home Has Sustained

We all know that water is essential to life. However, our furniture doesn’t need to be made of wood, fabric, and metal. Therefore, prolonged exposure to water can leave your furniture corrupted, distorted, or downright soggy. 

For instance, any quantity of pooling water on hardwood floors that are allowed to rest for a few days damages them, buckling the boards and requiring further repairs. Although there are methods to dry out drywall, replacement is needed if any part of the drywall still contains more than 1% of moisture. Even with minor water damage, mold forms within 24 hours of moisture being introduced into the air. If no swift action is taken, mold removal services will be needed. 

Thus, time is of the essence, and you must act swiftly. 

What to Do When Your Home Has Water Damage

There are specific urgent practical and safety measures during a flood or a significant leak, as discussed below:

• Children and pets should be taken away from the home, especially if the damage is extensive.
• Collect valuables within reach and try to prevent the leak by tackling the root cause. 
• If the breaker box is in a dry area of the house, turn it off. Avoid approaching the breaker box if it is even remotely close to the water to prevent electric shock. Call the utility provider and ask them to turn it off from their end if it is wet or close to water. Ask them to send someone out if that isn’t possible. 
• As soon as you can, get in touch with your insurance provider and be upfront about the degree of the water damage and the possible reason that may have caused it.
• Wait for the professionals to arrive if the water damage resulted from a backed-up sewer or if the water is grey or black. Know that attempting to fix this on your own can lead to severe risks to you and your health. 

Conclusion 

Water damage can be a chore to take care of. If you’re experiencing water damage of any scale, call us (631) 980-1800 today.