There are several important steps that are needed after water damage occurs in a house, and these steps are all part of water damage restoration. Several of the first and main steps will include removing the water and humidity from the home and taking out belongings and building supplies that are damaged and wet. Once those steps are completed, you will need to hire a cleaning crew to come in and clean the entire area. Here are several things to know about this important step in the process of water damage restoration.

Why Cleaning Is Important

When water enters a home where it does not belong, damage to the structure and contents of the home is not the only problem that can result. The water that comes in can also be contaminated and smelly. In addition, whenever water damage occurs, there is always a potential for mold and mildew to form, and this is something that can happen quickly when there is water in a house.

If you do not take the proper steps with cleaning the entire affected area, you will be putting your home and family at risk. For example, if the water that entered in was black water, also known as drain water, you could have dangerous germs inside your home. If the water damage led to mold, you may have mold that you do not even know about. If you want your home and family safe, you should hire a company that specializes in cleaning homes after water damage has occurred.

The Steps Used In Cleaning

During water damage restoration, the company performing the work will typically remove every item from the area that became wet from the water. They may place these items in your garage, or they might throw some of them away, depending on what they were. The nice part with cleaning the affected area is that it should be completely empty because of this.

The company that cleans it will do a variety of steps, which will include scrubbing everything down and sanitizing the entire area. These steps will eliminate the germs and contamination from the water, and this is the most important step in cleaning a water damaged area.

The cleaning crew might also perform odor-elimination steps, which are designed to eliminate any musty or bad smells from the area. In addition, they can help you salvage your belongings that were removed from the area after the water damage occurred. This may require dry cleaning for certain items, or it might involve other deep-cleaning methods. If there are things that cannot be cleaned, they may recommend throwing them away.

What Happens After This

Every step in the process of water damage restoration is important, and the final step of the process usually involves restoring the area. This step cannot be completed until the deep cleaning is complete, and the work needed will depend on how much damage occurred. It may involve replacing drywall panels. If so, your walls might also need to be finished and painted. If any boards in the walls became saturated and were damaged too much, those too might have to be replaced.

If you had carpet in this area, you will need to replace it. Water-damaged carpet is not something you should consider keeping. It is just too hard to ever get the mildew smell out of carpet that had been wet; however, there are methods you could try for cleaning the carpet if you really want to keep it. Keep in mind, though, that replacing it is generally the best decision.

If you experience water damage in your home and are considering cleaning it up yourself, you may want to think twice about this. It is hard to kill all the germs and bacteria left after water damage, and you can be safer by hiring a water damage restoration or cleaning company to perform the steps for you.