Flooding in your home can lead to severe water damage, which can end up costing you thousands of dollars to repair. If you're not careful, unaddressed water damage can also evolve into more complex plumbing issues that will end up costing your not only more money but your peace of mind as well.
The following tips are designed to help you clean up water damage so that you can put it behind you and look forward to living safely and happily in your home.
Understand Why Water Damage Happens
Water damage can be caused by a number of other issues in your plumbing or HVAC systems. Some of the problems that lead to water damage, like a leaking garbage disposal or sink drain that causes water to accumulate in the cabinet under the sink, are usually relatively easy to clean up and repair. Other causes, like hidden water leaks and burst pipes, are going to be a bit more trying.
It’s important to understand what caused the water damage because it can make a difference as to how you clean up. Here are a few situations in which you may experience water damage:
- When your AC unit or water heater leak.
- When your sump pump breaks.
- When your toilet is leaking.
- When you encounter a sewer line backup.
- When a clogged gutter causes water to collect on your roof, eventually causing it to leak.
- When a severe storm or hurricane hits your home.
Address Water Related Issues as Quickly as Possible
When it comes to water damage, the sooner the problem is addressed, the better it is all around.
Quickly cleaning up and repairing parts of your home that were affected by the water damage can save you from dealing with future problems like mold and mildew growth.
Mold is known to aggravate respiratory issues like allergies and asthma. Another danger with water is the threat of electrical failure, which can mean that the water may cause a fuse to blow, or it may cause an explosion or electrical fire.
Prolonged exposure to excessive water can also weaken your ceiling, walls, and even the very foundation your home sits on! Not to mention the bacteria and parasites that could be present if the water damage came from a sewage backup!
For all of these reasons, it is of the utmost importance that you address any form of water damage as soon as possible.
Keep Your Air Clean With an Air Scrubber
Finally, once you get your house looking back to the way it once was, you may think the work is done, and you can forget about water damage for a long time!
Unless you already ran an air scrubber in every room in the house, you would be mistaken. The effects of water damage can linger in the air, unseen by you, if you don't know how to get rid of them!
An air scrubber is a portable air purifier that sits in the center of the room and passes the air through several filters until it comes out clean. They can remove things like bacteria, dust, and mold spores from the air, that you would otherwise be breathing!
