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When your house floods, the water can wreak havoc on the structure of the house, your personal belongings, and the health of the environment inside your home now and into the future. Faced with no flood insurance and lacking resources, many do not even know where to start. Here are some tips on cleanup that may help you and I wish you the best in your burdensome and painful mess. Before you start any clean up, and even if you don’t insurance, document everything. If your insurance covers the damage, your agent will tell you when an adjuster will contact you. List damage and take photos or videotape as you clean. You’ll need complete records for insurance claims, applications for disaster assistance and income tax deductions. If they tell you to wait to clean up, then wait, but once you have the clearance to clean, here’s a list of common techniques for sanitizing and cleaning flooded items compiled from various expert sources: Furniture and household items Take furniture, rugs, bedding and clothing outside to dry as soon as possible. Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to remove moisture or open at least two windows to ventilate with outdoor air. Use fans to circulate air in the house. If mold and mildew have already developed, brush off items outdoors to prevent scattering spores in the house. Vacuum floors, ceilings and walls to remove mildew, then wash with disinfectant. Wear a two-strap protective mask to prevent breathing mold spores. Mattresses should be thrown away. Upholstered furniture soaks up contaminants from floodwaters and should be cleaned only by a professional. Wood veneered furniture is usually not worth the cost and effort of repair. Solid wood furniture can usually be restored, unless damage is severe. Toys and stuffed animals may have to be thrown away if they’ve been contaminated by floodwaters. Photographs, books and important papers can be frozen and cleaned later. They should be dried carefully and slowly. Wash the mud off and store the articles in plastic bags and put them in a frost-free freezer to protect from mildew and further damage until you have time to thaw and clean them or take them to a professional. Ceilings and walls Wallboard acts like a sponge when wet. Remove wallboard, plaster and paneling to at least the flood level. If soaked by contaminated floodwater, it can be a permanent health hazard and should be removed. If most of the wallboard was soaked by clean rainwater, consider cutting a 4- to 12-inch-high section from the bottom and top of walls. This creates a “chimney effect” of air movement for faster drying. A reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade works well, but use only the tip of the blade and watch out for pipes, ductwork and wiring. Plaster and paneling can often be saved, but air must be circulated in the wall cavities to dry the studs and sills. The three kinds of insulation must be treated differently. Styrofoam might only need to be hosed off. Fiberglass batts should be thrown out if muddy but may be reused if dried thoroughly. Loose or blown-in cellulose should be replaced since it holds water for a long time and can lose its antifungal and fire retardant abilities. For more significant information, check links below: flood restoration northshore
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