A flooded basement can be very problematic. They usually result from busted water pipes or heavy rains. This type of problem can be very hard to fix, involving a wide range of repair starting from drying, cleaning and salvaging damaged items.
For those who are experiencing a flooded basement, following are some tips on how this can be fixed if the water damage is not yet extensive.
Shut off the Cause
If the basement is flooded due to heavy rains, there’s really nothing much anyone else can do but wait for the weather to get better. Once this happens, homeowners can start on fixing their basement. However, if the damage happened due to a burst pipe or another controllable source, then make sure to stop it immediately to minimize the damage.
Remove the Water
The next step would be remove the water from the basement. This means using a powerful pump to carry the water all the way from the basement to an area far away from the house. This is to ensure that the water doesn’t find it’s way back to the basement.
Remove Everything
Now this is the hardest part of the job – transporting everything from the basement to a drier area. Since a lot of people utilize the basement as some sort of warehouse, this could literally take one whole day depending on the number of items in the basement. Note that carpets and wallpapers should be discarded as they cannot be salvaged after the incident.
Clean Up
After everything has been removed and one is left with just the bare walls and floor, then it’s time to get down and dirty with the clean-up. Use something strong to get rid of all the bacterias resulting from the flood. Some people utilize bleach for the job although there are other items that may be used and still provide the same level of clean. Make sure to get through all those nook and crannies as bacteria can easily reside in these areas. Once done, make use of a fan to dry out the basement.
Once everything is dry, new carpeting may be placed in the basement as well as replacing all the items previously removed. Note that the objects caught in the flood are also dirty so make sure that they are thoroughly cleaned before placed back to the basement.
A flooded basement can be very tricky to fix and clean especially if there are electrical sockets within the area. In fact, repairing a basement flooded with water is much like starting back from scratch as a person is only left with the bare essential – the walls and ceiling of the basement. At the same time, nooks and crannies can be very difficult to clean and dry without special items for the job. For these reasons, it is always best to call professionals in a specific area when it comes to flooded basements. This way, homeowners would be sure that their basement gets the necessary level of attention and care.