When your home floods, you are going to want to take quick action to prevent more damage from the water. When it comes to cleaning things up, there are a few things you should avoid doing in order to prevent more damage and to keep yourself safe.
#1: Use Electronic Appliances
You should not use any electronic appliance in your home that was in a room that flooded, such as a television, dryer, or washing machine. Water could have gotten inside of the electrical components, especially if the item was submerged in water.
You are going to want to have an electrician inspect these items to see if they can be saved, or if they need to be thrown away. Allow everything to dry out and get a professional to inspect any appliances that were damaged.
#2: Don't Use Outlets or Lights
If the water reached the level of the electrical outlets in a room, don't use the outlets until they are inspected by a professional. Like with your electrical appliances, there could easily be water inside of the outlets, and using the outlets could create a whole different issue.
If your ceiling is wet, don't turn on any of the ceiling lights or fans as well, as water could be lurking around the electrical cords.
#3: Don't Use a Vacuum to Remove Water
Do not use your regular vacuum to remove water. Your regular vacuum is not designed to remove water, and you run the risk of being electrocuted and ruining your vacuum machine if you try to clean up water.
A shop vacuum, which you can use to pick up water, is very different than a regular vacuum. A shop vacuum is specially designed to suck-up liquids and can be used to remove water from your home.
#4: Don't Leave Paper Items Where They Will Remain Wet
If you want to save any of your books, magazines, photos, or papers, you need to remove them from the wet floor or from whatever damp object they are on and get them somewhere dry. You may not be able to save these items, but if you remove them quickly enough, you might be able to.
Even if the paper-based item is beyond saving, you should still remove it, as the dye in the item can leach out and stain whatever the items are on.
Cleaning up after a flood can be a lot of work, and requires a certain degree of expertise, which is why you should call in a water damage restoration team. A professional water damage restoration team can help save personal items from being ruined and can help get your home back in order.
Contact a water damage restoration service for more information.