A flooded basement. Water running through the ceiling. It doesn’t have to be the rainy season to walk in and find an indoor swimming pool in your home. Once you get over the shock of a flooded home, it’s time to move on to the next step. What do you do about cleaning up all the water in your home? We’ve given you a five step list to getting your home back to the same condition BEFORE your pipe burst or the water poured in.
Turn off the power
This is a very import step. Don’t get electrocuted. Make sure the power and gas to your home is turned off ASAP—especially before you step into the water.
Stop the flow.
Before you start clean up, stop the flow. Find the source of the leak (i.e. pipe, wall, etc.) and stem the flow. If the flooding source is a pipe, turn off the water to your home. Call a plumber ASAP if necessary.
Call your insurance company.
Call your home insurance agent or the after hours number to report the damage. Take photos immediately and once the water is gone so you have documentation to back up your claim.
Remove the water, wet items, and furniture.
Time to start removing the water from your home. If you use a wet/dry vacuum to remove the water (which is not recommended), be very careful that the cord does not touch the water. Take any furniture or wet items to another area to dry, such as on a tarp in your garage or to an outdoor area.
Start cleaning up.
To keep the clean up process going (even while you are at work), contact a cleaning service to get them on the job ASAP. If you want to make the process simpler, call a cleaning service that has an existing relationship with your insurance carrier so the two parties can communicate directly and you don’t have to be the middleman.
