Water damage to your floor in any room of your home can arise from a number of sources. The most common sources are natural disasters and accidents. Natural disasters include circumstances such as high tides, excessive water from a tropical storm and hurricanes. Accidents arise because of defects in water heaters, burst pipes in the winter or other defects in the plumbing. It doen't matter the source of the problem. Once water seeps into a home it gives rise to a host of problems not only from the water itself but also the resulting consequences of the floor, carpet, furniture and household belongings getting wet. Clean up can be a prolonged and physically taxing process. If you arrive home to find your floors are wet, your first action is to use common sense. If it was the result of a storm, make sure the storm has stopped before entering and beginning clean up. If, however, you arrive home and find your house flooded because of an accidental problem, you need to assess the situation to find the source. It may be a broken water heater, burst pipe or other plumbing problem. If you can't find the source, turn off the main valve for the water into your home. Keep in mind that while facing this situation can be severely emotional and distressing, your personal safety and that of your family is the most important thing to remember. Make sure no one uses or turns on any electrical appliances, there is no floating debris that can cause injury and that you avoid touching any floating nails or debris that can cause personal injury or infection later on. Your next decision is whether you are going to clean up the water yourself or hire a professional to do the job. This decision will be made by the source of the water damage to your floor, extent of the damage, your physical condition and your financial means. Factors in favor of hiring a professional are when there are more than a few inches of water in the house, substantial damage to the carpeting or flooring, and soaked furniture that needs to be discarded. If you do attempt clean up yourself, you should purchase a wet-vac which is a vacuum that can suck up the water and place it into an attached bin or pail to prevent further floor water damage. Once the water is down to only a small amount you can then use towels and mops to finish it. If you don't own one, you can rent fans at a rental shop which will help to circulate the air and dry the floors. Remove and hang any wet area rugs to allow them to dry out. Whether or not you use a professional, if you believe you will need to make a claim for the damage you should take pictures immediately of the flooding, wet furniture, picture frames, rugs, books and other valuables which might be later claimed as a loss. Your insurance may also cover water damage and the costs of cleanup. Check your policy or contact your insurance agent for further information. There is a hidden danger with any major flood incident. It develops often in the unseen interior walls of your home. Even though you may not see outward signs of structural damage immediately it may be present. It is the development of mold. Molds have gained wide attention recently because of some high profile cases of medical conditions being exacerbated and builders having to replace entire sections of homes because of mold. If you can't see the mold growing on the walls, you might smell a musty odor which is indicative of mold. Molds are microscopic in size. They are basically a fungus which helps break down leaves, wood and other botanical material. This is great outside for the balance of nature. It is not so good for the walls or ceilings of your home. Mold grows and expands as a result of moisture. When your house floods, the water gets under the floorboards and into the walls creating moisture. Whether or not it develops often depends on the humidity in the home. You should call a professional as part of your clean up to check for mold. If mold is present, it can affect your health because mold has spores that discharge into the air. Unless the mold is extensive or you have a previous health condition such as asthma or allergies, it often will not be harmful to your or your family. All of this begins with the assessment of water damage to your floor and the resulting consequences of that flooding.
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