Discovering water damage in your home is stressful, and waiting for help to arrive can feel like an unbearably long time. While it’s crucial to let the professionals handle the cleanup and restoration, there are a few safe steps you can take in the meantime to improve the situation before they arrive. At Clean Image Services, your trusted water damage company in Wapato, we want to help you minimize damage and protect your home while you wait for our team to arrive.
Stop the Flow of Water
First things first, stopping the flow of water during a flood is critical. Doing this will limit the extent and severity of the overall damage. Depending on the extent of the flood and how soon you are able to stop the water, doing this right away can end up saving you thousands in repair costs before the water damage company arrives.
Protect Yourself and Your Family
Another critical immediate action during a flood is to protect yourself and your family. Water damage can bring many hazards, such as contaminated water, structural damage, and risk of electrocution. Whatever you do after a flood, make sure you and your family are protected against each of these hazards.
Move Valuables to Safety
If you can safely do so, an easy step to mitigate the damage from a flood is to move your valuables to a safer location. Don’t let the ease of this step make you forget about it. This is a simple way to prevent thousands of dollars in some cases.
Pump Out Standing Water (If Possible)
If you have a sump pump or have access to another water pump, you can begin pumping standing water out of your home while you wait for the water damage company to arrive. While you may not have the same industrial-grade pumps they have, any little but helps and will make the restoration process move along more quickly.
Begin Circulating Air
In addition to pumping out standing water, you can also start circulating air throughout your home to begin drying out excess moisture. You can do this by using fans (if you can safely plug them in) and opening windows and doors. Again, this won’t come close to matching what restoration companies are capable of with their high-powered fans and dehumidifiers, but any progress is still progress.
Document the Damage
You may also want to take photos and videos of all affected areas, including floors, walls, furniture, and personal belongings. Documenting the damage right away is not only helpful for the restoration company but also important if you need to file an insurance claim. The more detailed your documentation, the smoother the claims process will be.
Water Damage Company in Wapato
If you’re dealing with water damage in your home, don’t panic. Help in the form of a trusted water damage company like Clean Image Services in Wapato is on the way. But you don’t need to sit around anxiously waiting. Following the steps above to the best of your ability will go a long way to mitigating the damage and helping the restoration company get off to a quick start.
