Why a Professional Should Treat Water Damage

3/4/2024 (Permalink)

If you’ve suffered flood damage or a plumbing disaster, cleanup is most likely required to restore your home. In these cases it’s important that only a certified professional handles the cleanup. The existence of excessive moisture could create problems with long-lasting effects, even if the soaked materials have been removed from the home. It’s even more important that a professional restoration crew cleans up the damage if the moisture comes in with a flood or some other contaminated source because bacteria, viruses, and molds can thrive within organic materials such as carpet, upholstery, drywall, and wood. The microbes that live in these environments can cause serious harm to occupants of a home. 

You may have the idea that you can dry out your home and the materials in your home well enough that you don’t need a professional restoration crew. But the technicians that handle the cleanup will use their special skills and equipment to ensure that all potential health hazards are eliminated when you return to your home. It’s important that you hire technicians like those at SERVPRO who are certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

The first thing the restoration crew will do when they arrive will be to assess the extent of the damage to see exactly what they are dealing with and what needs to be done. Once the technicians discover the source of the moisture, they will isolate a work area and immediately begin to remove any standing water. In the case that there are several inches of moisture present, the technicians will need to use a commercial pumping system to dry the area as much as possible. This type of equipment must be used in situations such as when a pipe burst and floods a basement.

Next the technicians will survey the area where there is water damage to see if they need to dispose of any materials that may have been destroyed. Usually if there are any organic materials that have become wet or contaminated, they will need to be eliminated. If the treatment of the items is quick enough, there may be an opportunity to save some of them. Typically items like carpet, baseboards, casings, portions of drywall, plywood, and particle boards won’t survive if they’ve been exposed to contaminated moisture for an extended period of time. After 24 hours, mold growth can happen rapidly so many materials are beyond repair if they’ve been exposed to contaminated moisture for a day or longer.

After everything that needs to be thrown out has been, the only materials that are left should be those that can be dried and restored to their original state. The goal of the restoration crew will be to wick off as much of the moisture that remains in the shortest amount of time possible to minimize the amount of damage. They usually are able to accomplish this by the use of commercial air movers and high volume humidifiers which allows them to restore the building to a normal moisture content in a few days.

In some unique situations, special equipment like heat injectors might be required in order to dry areas that are harder to reach. However, usually air movers and dehumidifiers work well enough. The technicians that are completing the drying process will use a moisture meter, built with probes that are designed to be inserted into the wet materials, to monitor their progress. Once the drying process is completed and a normal level of moisture content has been restored in the home, the technicians will deconstruct the work area, clean up, put all furniture back, and properly dispose of any refuse.

Due to the fact that cleaning up the water damage must also address microbial growth, the technicians completing the restoration will be prepared to eradicate molds and other microorganisms. They’ll apply special agents to areas around the home that they suspect may be harboring the pathogens. Once the restoration crew is finished restoring the home and has vacated, the house will once again be livable.

Water damage has the dual effect of damaging personal property as well as being harmful to the health of residents. The restoration of water damage should always be handled by professionals that are certified by the IICRC so that the home is fully livable and safe for the occupants to return. If you have water damage in your home or need some other form of restoration, call the reliable professionals SERVPRO®.