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Clean-Up Tips for After a Flood
Maanen Insurance Group knows your Greeley, CO home means a lot to you. When a rising water event floods your home, you need to take action immediately to save yourself, your family, and your property. While your flood insurance will reimburse you for the damages, some items just aren’t replaceable, such as antiques your parents passed down to you.
You need a way to save them from the aftermath of the floodwaters – the mold and the mildew. This blog teaches you the steps to take after a flood for cleanup and debris removal as well as mold and mildew treatment.
The quicker you can begin to save your home and its items, the better your outcome. You cannot return until authorities have said it is okay to re-enter the area. Once you can go home though, follow these steps to attempt to prevent mold growth.
- Hire a professional mold remediator or a flood clean up expert. These specialists have the equipment, sanitizers, and bacterial treatments that can rid your home of mold, mildew, and prevent it from developing.
- Before the specialists arrive, prevent the spread of mold and mildew by moving items that didn’t get wet outside. Keep them in the sunlight as long as possible, so long as the forecast holds no rain. Also, remove the flooded items you want to salvage, but place them in other areas of the yard, so they can begin to dry.
- Remove as much flood water as possible using buckets and mops. You can use a sump pump if you have one. Sweep out as much dirt, mud, and debris as possible.
- Use any dehumidifiers, fans or heaters you have to start the drying process. Ventilate your home by opening the windows if it is not humid outside.
- Remove wet carpet and its padding because once it gets saturated, it cannot be saved. It will develop mold if you leave it in place, so just rip it out. This prepares your home for the flood and a mold remediation expert to visit.
- The remediation experts will test your drywall to determine if it needs replacement. If inundated during the flood, they will cut away the drywall from one foot above the flood line down. Mold cannot be cleaned and removed from porous materials. They’ll dispose of the cutaway drywall and replace it with new. They’ll do the same with wall paneling damaged in the flood.
- The remediation crew will also remove damaged insulation.
- The remediation crew completely dries and sanitizes your home.
- Have new materials installed.
- Show the flooded items you’d like to try to save to the remediation team. They’ll show you what they can do to remove mold and mildew but know in advance that some items cannot be saved.
Maanen Insurance Group wants you ready for any hazard that could hit your Greeley, CO home. Floods happen everywhere. While flood insurance reimburses you for your loss and helps pay for remediation, you’ll need to help the remediators get started. Contact us as soon as the flood occurs, so we can help you.
