The Three Categories of Water Damage & How They Affect Your Water Mitigation

No two water damage situations are created alike because no two commercial buildings are exactly alike. So when you’re facing a flooding scenario, whether it’s a localized flood cleanup that you can take care of with a mop and bucket, or a massive sewer cleanup that makes you think you’ll never be able to get the place smelling right again, you need to know the three categories of water damage and how they will affect your water mitigation. Below we’re going to cover these three basic areas to help you ensure that no matter what kind of moisture mitigation scenario you’ve got on your hands (and under your feet!), you’ll be able to reestablish the cleanest, driest and safest business possible for your team to keep doing what it does best!

1. SMALL FLOOD CLEANUPS.
   The first category falls into the realm of what you can conceivably take care of on your own without professional assistance. This might be a minor leak from a bathroom pipe under your sink that you discover before it causes any water damage, or maybe even a wax ring on your toilet that you happen to discover before it starts leaking through the floor and damaging whatever is below. But just because you’ve found the water damage before it got too big doesn’t mean you’re automatically out of the woods -- you can’t just wipe or sop up a wet mess and call it good without ensuring that you’ve properly sanitized and restored the surfaces to their original condition. So don’t assume that just because it’s small, it’s quick or easy. You could leave moisture behind that could still cause water damage over time like mold, so you’ll want to really do your research into the water damage restoration process to make sure that you’re restoring things properly for a safe workspace that’s fully up to code.
   
   
2. LARGE FLOOD CLEANUPS.
   The next category is the kind of flooding situation where you open a door and see the water and your heart stops. Right away, you know you’re going to need some help with it because a pipe has burst or a portion of your roof failed and now there’s water or other moisture damage like black mold everywhere. How can this happen, you’re thinking to yourself? And then the panic sets in. You’re doing the math and trying to figure out how you’ll afford a water damage restoration service and how far this incident will set back your team on its operational schedule. No business leader ever wants to experience this kind of situation, but sometimes things are out of your control: if there’s a major rainstorm with flash flooding that gets in your basement, for example, all you can do is prepare the best you can now by arming yourself with information and a “large flood response plan” for your business. The most important part of that plan will be to have a trusted water removal and water damage restoration company already on file and ready in case of this kind of emergency. So take some time to research now before you get surprised by a large flood cleanup. (Hint: AdvantaClean is a great place to start!)

3. TOXIC FLOODING CLEANUPS.
   Here’s the tricky third type of water damage: the kind that involves contaminated water. Whether your flood cleanup is large or small, if you’re dealing with gray water (used for washing hands, dishes, laundry and bathing), and especially if you’re dealing with any sort of black water (used in toilets), then we hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but these toxic flood cleanups are going to get a lot more time-consuming and therefore probably more expensive too. In order to properly restore an area that’s been damaged by water with bacteria, your water damage restoration service provider is going to have to use special extended procedures to ensure that your surfaces are completely cleaned and thoroughly sanitized before you can get back to work in the affected space. So if there’s a bathroom leak from your toilet and it seeped out into your hallway carpet, for example, you might be able to dry it up and clean it, but how will you be sure that you actually got all of the nasty, toxic microorganisms that can stick around and cause health and safety issues for your property? The answer is that unless you’re a highly trained water damage restoration professional who is certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), chances are you’re not going to have the peace of mind that you’ve truly restored your business to the cleanest, safest condition that it needs to be for the health of your entire team.
   
   

The good news is that regardless of the size or type of your water damage, there’s a locally-owned AdvantaClean franchise near you staffed by your neighbors who are standing by to serve you and your business today. Don’t try to DIY a flood cleanup or especially a sewer cleanup situation, no matter how small, because it won’t be truly clean until it’s AdvantaClean!