Steps To Take When Your Basement Is Flooded

11/13/2019 (Permalink)

If your basement is affected by wet weather or faulty equipment, it can be a real mess. We all store extra items in our basements, and boxes of soggy books, soaked carpets, ruined photos, and submerged electronics can be extremely daunting to face.

Acting quickly to remove the water and repair the damage is vital. Mold can take hold within two days, and many of your affected items can be saved if you act right away. 

Make sure safety is your first concern, however. If you have a large amount of standing water in your basement, call your power company, electrician, or your professional water damage cleanup team immediately. They will help you and take precautions by disconnecting electrical service to the area before stepping into that water.

You can use a wet vac to remove standing water, but if it is not doing the job call your professionals here at SERVPRO. 

Using dehumidifiers and fans will move air around, and that discourages mold and mildew. Keeping them at least 8 inches away from walls will allow for the best circulation. Your air conditioning can be a big help here, too, so keep it running. 

Scrub hard surfaces with a solution of one cup bleach to one gallon of water while wearing gloves and protective eyewear. Remember to keep the room ventilated, too.

If your valuable documents or papers have been affected, you can freeze them! This may stop the growth of mildew or deterioration until you can take a better look at them. In the future, it may be a good idea to not store anything valuable in the basement. If you don’t have space anywhere else, then using plastic bins should help protect your items if your basement floods again. 

Here at SERVPRO of Huron/East Seneca Counties, we are ready to help if you are affected by water damage, storm damage, or other disastrous events. We are available to homeowners and commercial business owners alike, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.