preparing your house for professional cleaners

Calling in a water damage restoration team to assist you with clearing up a situation can leave you wondering what the job will require. It's a good idea to learn about these basic aspects of doing a restoration project.

Drying Out is Priority #1

Properly judging what can and cannot be restored is difficult until a building has been dried out. Many companies use industrial-size box fans to provide airflow and get the moisture out of rooms.

Standing water also has to be pumped out, and dehumidifying units may be necessary, too. If you're lucky, this can occur on a dry day when windows and doors can be opened to maximize natural air flow.

Any objects that have been soaked with water will have to be removed. Important items, such as papers, will be treated either with absorbent materials or will be frozen to preserve their contents.

What Might Be Saved

Once a space has been dried out, there will be questions about what can be saved. Most wooden floors can be saved if they're dried out professionally right away.

Some types of hardwoods, though, can present trouble. Also, issues with the subfloor materials can lead to warping or contraction, especially if a building hasn't been dried out steadily and simultaneously on all levels.

Walls can be especially problematic. If the water came and went quickly, they might be saved. Testing needs to be done to ensure that mold growth hasn't started,

What Can't Be Saved

Most major systems that handle heating and air conditioning in a building will need to be replaced. These units tend to have lots of metal parts, and exposure to water typically compromises their function. If you do leave such systems in a building, you are obligated to disclose this fact when you sell it.

The type of water damage will dictate how many other things have to go. Water in the industry is described as black, gray, or white. Black water is anything with sewage, human waste, or other decomposing types of waste, and items exposed to black water have to go.

Gray water is wastewater, what the average customer might typically think of as sink water or water with dirt in it. White water is just clear water with no contaminants. Most things exposed to gray or white water can be saved as long as they're dried out within a reasonable amount of time. 

For more information, contact a water damage restoration service near you.