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How These 5 Tips Will Give You Peace Of Mind In Water Damage Restoration Clean Up process!
Table Of Contents
- What Is Water Damage Restoration?
- What Does Water Damage Restoration Include?
- Can I Carry Out Water Damage Restoration on My Own?
- How To Choose a Great Water Damage Restoration Company?
- 5 Water Damage Restoration Tips!
- #1 The Survey
- Assessing Which of the 3 Categories Of Water Is Contamination, your property
- How Long Does It Take to Dry Out Water Damage?
- #2 The Containment
- How To Get Rid Of The Water Problem?
- #3 The Cleanup
- What Are the Health Hazards In A Water-damaged Property?
- How To Sterilize the Property?
- #4 The Repair
- How Do I Repair Water Damaged House?
- Ceiling Repair
- Woodwork Repair iv. Drywall Repair
- #5 The Finishing
- Summary Of The 5 Water Damage Restoration Tips:
- Why Should You Hire Professional Water Damage Restoration Services?
- Why Not Check Our Other Articles On Water Damage Restoration?
What Is Water Damage Restoration?
There’s nothing more crushing than opening the door to the foul smell of water damage in your property. Most of us have felt that horrible feeling in the pit of our stomachs as the trauma sinks in. This is where water damage restoration can absolutely give you peace of mind and take the pain out of the cleanup.
From water-saturated ceilings, burst pipes to flooded basements, mold and rot, water damage can cause havoc in your home if the treatment isn’t spot on.
In this guide, we’re going to give you a step-by-step process to restore your water damaged property, plus some tips on how to choose the right expert to help you with your water damage restoration.
What Does Water Damage Restoration Include?
- The Survey: Checks the category of polluting water
- The Containment: Gets rid of the water
- The Clean-Up: To sterilize the property and remove health hazards
- The Repair: To fix water damage to ceilings, woodwork, and drywall
- The Finishing: Restores your home, so it’s as good as new
Can I Carry Out Water Damage Restoration On My Own?
It’s a brilliant question. If you have a small water spillage, then yes, it’s always worth having a go and following the 5-step process, which we’ll outline later.
However, if it’s anything bigger, it’s critical you get certified professionals in. Why? Because they have the skills and equipment to make sure they’ll not only fix the water damage problem, but also make sure it doesn’t come back again.
From industrial driers, dehumidifiers, infrared moisture, and leak detection to chemical cleaners, it’s incredibly difficult for an amateur to do the job a water damage restoration expert can. Also, a professional will also be able to help you with your insurance claim.
So, when you asked, “can I take care of water damage by myself?” it’s worth bearing this in mind.
How To Choose A Great Water Damage Restoration Company?
Sadly, not all water damage experts are born equal. We’ve put together a checklist you can use to judge if you have the right expert for your job.
- How long have they been in business? Days, months, years… in this profession, expertise really counts. You don’t want to be halfway through the job, and they disappear. Always pick a firm with a strong business foundation.
- Are they certified and licensed? Flood and water damage restorations are highly technical, so it’s critical to check that they have the skills and qualifications to carry out the job professionally.
- Do they have the right water damage restoration equipment? As we mentioned earlier, domestic devices just can’t do the job effectively.
Make sure they have the right equipment for the project. We will look at this in more detail later with a sample of equipment to look out for.
- Does the company offer a 24/7 response time? If they do, it shows they have the infrastructure to respond to any emergency, which shows an excellent level of professionalism.
- Can they show experience dealing with different types of water damage? From flooding to mold removal, water damage comes in 4 classifications. Check they have the skills to deal with all 4. This is another great indicator of their expertise.
[maybe an article on the classifications?]
- Do they have the background to help you with your insurance claim? Most of the trusted water damage restoration companies are a massive resource to help guide you through the nightmare that can be an insurance claim. It’s always worth asking for their advice.
So now you can check out the professionalism of your water damage renovation specialist. It’s time to dive into getting your home back to the way you want it.
5 Water Damage Restoration Tips
#1 The Survey
This is usually conducted quickly, as water damage can be pervasive. Your contractor will usually look at two major factors:
Assessing Which Of The 3 Categories Of Water Is Polluting Your House According to IRMI, there are 3 categories of water:
- Category 1: Sanitary and clean water with no risk to health
- Category 2: Contaminated water that poses a health risk.
- Category 3: Significantly polluted water that will cause major health issues.
The engineer will create and cost out an appropriate plan depending on the category of water damage and type of water contaminating the site.
How Long Will It Take To Dry Out Water Damage?
At this stage, your supplier will also measure up and gauge how long it will take for the water to dry and create a plan to remedy the water damage.
The time it takes depends on the category of water and size of the water damaged area. On average, it takes about 3-5 days to dry out a property using industrial strength equipment. We’ll discuss more about the equipment used later on.
#2 The Containment
How To Get Rid Of The Water Problem?
As we mentioned earlier, domestic tools and cleaning products are not as effective as the industrial equipment that a water damage restoration company can quickly bring to the project.
The first step is to find out where the water is coming from, and then to dry out the water damage with a humidifier. It’s essential to stop it spreading fast.
Some of the types of equipment used in this include:
- Water extraction
- Special drying equipment (see our article on Structural drying)
- Dehumidifiers
- Infrared moisture and leak detection equipment.
#3 The Cleanup
Now that the equipment is drying out the property, it’s time to clean up the water-damaged house or business.
What Are The Health Hazards In A Water-damaged Property?
During the water damaging process, the property will have been contaminated. This means that anything that’s been damaged needs to be thrown out. Even if something is dry but can hold a lingering contaminant, that should also be removed as well.
Your health and the health of your family are paramount, so it’s never a good idea to skip this step. You would be surprised what can fester and remain even after disinfecting. It can be horrible getting rid of possessions that you love, but think of it as a fresh start, as it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
How To Sterilize The Property?
Once all the hazardous material has gone, it’s time for a deep clean. Specially designed cleaners are used by the water damage restoration experts to sterilize your house.
This is a critical stage, as if it’s not done thoroughly, then mold and other harmful bacteria can come back to haunt you.
#4 The Repair
How Do I Repair Water Damaged House?
Once everywhere is dry and sterilized, it’s finally time to start the repairs. This is when the water damage restoration contractor will hand over the job for repairs.
Usually arranged back to back, renovations are done in the following order.
- Ceiling Repair
- Woodwork Repair
- Drywall Repair
#5 The Finishing
You’re now on the home stretch. Everything is dry, sterile, and repaired. It’s time to paint and decorate and bring your home back to life.
If you’ve been working with the right water damage restoration company, the time it takes from them finishing the cleanup to the repairs should have been reduced significantly.
Summary Of The 5 Water Damage Restoration Tips:
Why Should You Hire Professional Water Damage Restoration Services?
“Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.”
Drake
Water damage is always traumatic, but with the right professional expertise, your home could be back to normal in no time.
In brief, we have seen how to choose a great water damage restoration company and a 5-step process to get you back on your feet quickly.
If you have water damage in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area, here at GTA Restoration & Cleanup, we offer a 24/7 emergency water damage restoration service.
If you’re in Toronto and the GTA, including Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and more, why not call us. You can get us by clicking here!
Check Our Other Articles On Water Damage Restoration
How to prevent house water damage in winter?
https://gtarestoration.com/blog/house-winter-water-damage-and-how-to-pre vent-it/
Check your insurance policy if it covers Flooding!
https://gtarestoration.com/blog/does-your-insurance-cover-water-damage/
Prevent House Floods from Spring Rains!
https://gtarestoration.com/blog/prevent-spring-house-floods-from-melting-snow-and-spring-rains/
