Can I Fix Water Damage On My Own?

A lot of things can cause water damage. Whether it’s from a burst pipe or the aftermath of a natural disaster, water damage needs to be cleaned up and restored as soon as possible. 

While you can fix minor problems on your own, water damage often goes deeper than the surface. Attempting to fix the problem on your own can lead to worse problems down the road. This is not the time to DIY – it is worth calling in a professional to ensure that the job is done right. Look for a trusted local company with water damage experience. 

Step One: Inspecting the Home and Assessing the Damage

No matter the cause of your home’s water damage, the first call you make should always be to your insurance provider, who can send a claims adjuster to assess the damage. After they’ve finished doing their job and making the most detailed report they can, the second call you make should be to a team of professional water damage restoration specialists. 

These specialists will come out at their soonest availability to make a detailed assessment of their own. They have access to unique equipment, including tools like a moisture detector and a hydrometer, which are used to determine how much restoration and repair work will be needed. 

There are four different levels of water damage, each of which needs to be handled a bit differently. Class 1 is considered minor, whereas class 4 water damage is extremely severe and dangerous. After assessing the affected area, they will move on to the next step.

Step Two: Removing the Water from Affected Areas

WIn many cases, water damage comes with a significant hurdle: standing water. Depending on the type of water, this can be anywhere from a mild inconvenience to a full-blown health hazard. Someone must remove the standing water immediately, regardless of its hazard level. 

Standing water will seep into any surface porous enough to absorb it, including the carpets, walls, floors, etc. It can even soak into the structural wooden supports of your home if it’s left long enough. In addition, it’s also the perfect environment for mold to breed in. It can take as little as a day for mold spores to start collecting where there’s standing water and as few as ten days for you to have an entire infestation on your hands. 

Professional water removers will use specialized equipment to pump the water out to remove the water. They use state-of-the-art vacuums and pumps to remove all surface water from your home as quickly as possible, to minimize the risk of it causing further water damage. 

After all of the water has been extracted, there may be another inspection to ensure that all standing water has been removed as extensively as possible. Once that’s confirmed, it’s on to step three. 

Step Three: Drying and Dehumidifying your Home

While all surface water may be removed, the job is still far from over. Now it’s time to dry all of the areas that water has gotten soaked into and dehumidify the air as much as possible. Even moisture in the air is enough to create a breeding ground for mold. 

Any material (wood floors, carpets, etc.) will be dried quickly using industrial-quality dehumidifiers and air circulators. Even once the materials have been dried enough to no longer look wet, they still may be and will often remain moist to the touch for some time. Leaving them in this damp condition can cause them to rot and, of course, grow mold. 

The remediation experts will monitor your home’s moisture levels fairly constantly during this step to know they’ve done the best they can before moving on to step four. 

Step Four: Cleaning and Sanitizing the Space

Standing water often carries dirt, grime, and debris. A thorough, professional-level cleaning is needed after your home has sustained water damage. Normal at-home cleaning methods won’t cut it. All affected areas should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

Step Five: Restoration

Finally, all that’s left to do is put things back where they belong and put your home back together so that everything looks as good as new. Carpet can be reinstalled and your cleaned and dried furniture put back into place.

For 24/7 access to water damage and mold remediation experts, call AdvantaClean at 877. 800.2382. Disaster doesn’t wait, and neither should you. Call us to start the water damage restoration process before more damage occurs.