Water damage is a major hazard to many homes. It’s typically caused by plumbing issues, AC malfunction, frozen burst pipes, or flooding caused by natural disasters. If your Orlando home experiences this hazard, it’s wise to have a water damage restoration and clean-up checklist.
Water damage restoration is the process of bringing back your home’s condition to its previous state after water damage has occurred. This procedure entails inspection, extraction, clean up, and reconstruction if required. Although damage restoration can be a DIY project, it’s a job mainly left to professionals as they have the right experience and tools for the job. However, if you decide to handle the process yourself, here is a quick Orlando water damage restoration and clean-up checklist to help you out.
Conduct A Safety Evaluation
The first thing to do after experiencing water damage is to evaluate your home’s safety and ensure you and your family stay safe. For instance, if your Orlando home has flooded and the water levels are high, get everybody out as electric current may be running under the water, which is dangerous.
If it’s safe to enter the house, go to the power supply and cut off the electricity. However, remember to wear protective gear such as gloves and rubber boots when re-entering the house. If it’s not safe, don’t get into contact with the water. Instead, consider reaching out to professionals in water damage restoration in Orlando to handle the situation.
Reach Out To Your Insurance Company
After determining the source and being confident that your insurance policy covers it, call the insurance company to report the compensation claim. After reporting the claim, the insurance company will send an adjuster to review and document the damage. However, dealing with insurance adjusters can be challenging as their work is to reduce your compensation amount as much as possible.
To ensure you get the proper compensation, document everything and take pictures before and after the clean-up process. Moreover, you can consider hiring an Orlando public adjuster to help you get maximum compensation.
Ascertain The Cause Of The Water Damage
After your home is safe, you must determine the cause of the water damage. Doing so helps you fix the primary cause of the water damage and determine its extent. This will also help you create and conduct preventive measures to prevent the same problem from happening again.
The causes of water damage can range from minor plumbing issues to extensive flooding. The primary causes of water damage include AC condensation, broken or leaking pipes, roof drippings, clogged drains and gutters, toilet overflows, faulty water heaters, and flooding. If you can’t determine the source of the water damage, call in the professionals, as they not only know where to look but also what to look for.
Start Removing Excess Water
After you’ve been cleared to enter your house and you’ve determined the cause of the damage, starting to get rid of the excess water as quickly as possible is essential. This is because the more the water sits in your house, the more damage it causes.
You can remove the water using buckets or a water pump that’s designed to suck water. You can rent the pump from local hardware or buy it from a DIY shop. You can also hire professionals to get rid of excess water. Either way, the goal is to remove as much water as possible.
Extract All Damaged Items
Next is to assess the condition of your belongings. If your furniture or other items are wet, take them outside to dry if the weather permits. Otherwise, keep them in a well-ventilated room. The most vulnerable materials are leather, paper, wood, fabric, and other porous materials. Therefore, concentrate on such materials first to get them drying right away.
Dry Up Your Space
After you get everything out of the way, it’s time to start the drying process. There are different ways to dry out your house. For instance, you can use speed drying, which uses hot air and heaters to get rid of moisture. You can also use dehumidifiers, such as desiccant dehumidifiers, which work by absorbing excess moisture from the air. You can also use heat exchange dehumidifiers which draw hot air over a colder surface. Finally, you can open up your space to allow air circulation into the room.
Identify Any Signs Of Mold
Mold infestation is common after water damage. It’s caused by dump surfaces and insufficient airflow. Mold grows quickly and can be difficult to remove; it causes structural damage and poses health hazards to you and your family. Therefore, look for any signs of mold and get rid of them as soon as possible, and ensure that your space is completely dry to prevent them from reappearing.
Conclusion
Water damage is one of the major causes of property damage. If this catastrophe befalls your Orlando home, follow the above checklist to restore your home to its original state. If the water damage is extensive, you can consider hiring a water damage professional for help.
