How Do You Care for Wet Items After Water Damage?

4/16/2020 (Permalink)

Bathroom flooding in an Overland Park, KS home

Steps to Keep Your Items Safe After Water Damage

When you have water in your home in Overland Park, KS, it is likely that some of your belongings will be affected by the water. There are certain steps you can take in order to keep your items safe.

1. Eliminate the Source of Water

Before you can begin to assess what damage has occurred and start taking care of your items, you should make sure that water does not continue to flood your home if possible. If the water is coming from a broken pipe, for example, turning off the water entirely is likely the quickest way to stop the flow of water. By stopping the source of water, you can prevent additional items from becoming damaged.

2. Allow Items to Dry

Once the water in your home has been removed, you may be tempted to start moving items and cleaning what has been damaged immediately. However, some of your belongings may need to dry before they can be restored. For example, documents and photographs should be handled when dry in order to prevent further damage, cushions and cloth items can be more manageable to move when dry.

3. Appropriately Sanitize Items

When the area affected by water is dry in your home, you can begin make a better assessment of what can be cleaned and what should be replaced. Items that are not badly damaged and that are not affected by mold may only require dry cleaning, which is a relatively quick process. However, you may need to use strong cleaning products on items if they have been left in standing water. When choosing how to sanitize your belongings, it’s often helpful to make sure you are using the appropriate product on each item.

Knowing the appropriate steps to take if water in your home has damaged items can help you feel more prepared. As you begin to clean your personal belongings, it may be helpful to contact water damage professionals who can help to restore your home and your belongings.