5 Steps to Clean up a Flooded Canton House from a Storm

1/7/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Northwest Stark County can help restore your home from flood damage in Canton, Ohio.

A storm can cause severe flooding to a home. Sometimes flood damage is not covered by insurance. If you need to clean up your Canton home by yourself here are 5 Steps that may help.

1. It is important to first turn off your water and gas to the house. Wear personal protective equipment. A mask or respirator is important to not breathe in any possible mold spores that may have started form. Wear rubber gloves, boots and old clothes that could be thrown away. Some flooded houses may have bacteria growing in the water that can cause potential health hazards.
2. Document areas of the house. Take lots of pictures of the areas that are damaged and write down all household items that have been destroyed. Determine the flood line. That line is usually noticeable by a dirt line wear the water had reached before receding. You want to go 1 foot above that area and then remove everything below. Carpet, carpet padding and drywall needs to be removed. It is difficult to dry-out those items that have been wet for long periods of time. Real wood trim may be salvageable, so take precaution when removing. If any trim is made of MDF or particle board it is damaged beyond repair and needs to thrown out. All studs will be able to be dried out.
3. Time to cleanup your home. At this point you are down to the studs and concrete floor/basement of your house. Clean up all debris of your house. Spray down the house with bacteria and microbial cleaner.
4. Ventilate and dehumidify your house. Get airflow throughout your house. Rent or purchase industrial strength fans, if all sold out or rented then a place all your box fans in the flooded areas. The humidity is going to begin and it will get hot when the your house starts to dry out, so it’s important to use an industrial dehumidifier. If you can’t find one then opening up your house and let the sun dry it out.
5. Verify that everything is dry by using a moisture meter. It needs to be a moisture content of 16% or less on any wood areas to begin rebuilding.One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when deciding to clean up the water damage themselves is underestimating the extent of the water damage. but to ensure that its completely dry and secondary damage won’t happen, it is important to call a local restoration company.

SERVPRO of Northwest Stark County has been in business for over 20 years and has the experience, equipment and trained technicians to help you with your next water loss. Call us today at 330-497-4600.