How to Easily Clean Up Water Damage

Provided By Yahoo!

Now that it's spring, we're going to experience a ton of rain. Although rain is great for the flowers and grass, it can wreak havoc on your home (especially if you have leave-filled gutter or a crack in your foundation). In fact, if you're a homeowner with a basement, you may actually grow to dislike those rain showers as they could bring water damage. In this brief article, I'm going to discuss how to clean up water damage. So, without further adieu, let's get started.

First of all, you must always check your home for water damage after a severe thunderstorm. When you do, look for any damaged walls, check the floors and make sure that there are no spots on the ceiling. Do this every time that it rains heavily.

Second, if you notice any basement flooding or other signs of water leakage, remove everything out of the room where it occurred. Simply take those items to your garage or somewhere where you can view them. Then, you'll need to go through and inspect them for water damage. Take your time and evaluate each item carefully. Ask yourself these questions:

- Is the item salvageable? Can it be repaired?

- Are any of the items mildewed? (If so, you'll need to clean off the mildew.)

Third, evaluate the entire area for water damage. For those of you with ceramic or other tiling, you have it easy. You simply have to clean up the water and move on. For those of you that have carpet, you'll need to access the area. You may even want to pull the carpet up a bit to see how it looks underneath.

For those with carpet water damage, you'll have to clean up the excess water immediately. This can best be done with a wet vacuum. Once you've cleaned the excess water, you'll need to use a deep carpet cleaner. If you don't want to purchase one, you can rent it from a place like Home Depot. Either way, you'll have to remove the excess water immediately. If you don't, you'll be left with a terrible mildewed scent.

If you choose to replace the carpet instead of cleaning it, you will then check it for damage. Now, you'll be able to really see the damage underneath. When evaluating the area, look carefully for signs of water damage.

If you have concrete under the carpet, you will simply have to let it dry however, if you have wood floors, you'll need to evaluate them for rotting wood and weakened areas. If you find that the wood has been damaged then you'll need to replace it. If it is simply wet you can simply let it air dry. For mildewed items, you'll have to remove the mildew.

Hopefully you'll never experience water damage but if you do, use the above mentioned tips to clean it up fast and rid yourself of the horrible smell for good. Then, hire someone to find out why it leaked in the first place so that it doesn't happen again.

If you are ready to sell your home call the experts at 972-772-7000 or email us at rockwall@kw.com.