How To Care for Water-Damaged Items After a Flood

3/27/2018 (Permalink)

Water Damage Home and Content

Flooding in your Burton, OH, home can happen for many reasons. Water in the home may be the result of a burst water pipe, a leaky sink or toilet, or a flood caused by nature. No matter the reason, water can seriously damage precious keepsakes, documents and other important items that you cannot replace. If you find yourself with waterlogged photo albums, toys or other important keepsakes after a flood, there are a few ways you can try to salvage them.

Gathering Items After a Flood

Flood waters can have a different affect on a variety of items. However, there are a few valuables that require special attention:

" Artwork
" Paper documents
" Photo albums

If a broken pipe caused one room to flood and you know the water is not contaminated with sewage or dangerous chemicals, you can carefully gather these items from the water and start dry cleaning them indoors in an area with low humidity and away from direct sunlight. Sunlight can cause paper documents and artwork to fade or curl.

Determining Condition

You may not be able to salvage everything after a flood, but once water in your home recedes, taking stock of what remains can help you determine what is worth keeping. If some items have mud or silt on them, wash it away carefully with a low-pressure hose and set the items indoors to dry. A storm cleanup and restoration company can advise you on whether some objects affected by black water can be properly sanitized.

Handling Items With Severe Damage

If books, photos or other fragile items are badly damaged, they might require special care. Try to air dry these items as much as possible, and then store them in plastic airtight cases until you can contact a paper goods restoration specialist.

When water in a home damages precious items, the effects can be devastating. However, knowing how to react and handle these items in case of a flood in your Burton, OH, can help you act quickly and allow you to salvage as much as you can.

Visit us at http://www.SERVPROgeaugacounty.com for more information.