10 Steps to Water Damage Restoration

The source of water damage can be a toilet leak, burst pipe, hurricane, or flood. If you don’t dry out the water damage quickly and properly, mold can grow, causing even more damage. 

What’s worse, you don’t have much time to fix the water damage. Mold can begin to develop in as little as 24 hours from even a small amount of water. If you don’t dry out the moisture, you may start to notice mold growth on walls, floors, insulation, ceilings, carpets and wood. To preserve the structural integrity of your home as well as the health of your loved ones, you can act quickly and prevent mold growth after a flood.

Follow these 10 steps to restore your home and property as quickly as possible.

10 Steps to Restoring your Home or Property Quickly After Water Damage

1. The most important factor in a water damage collision is safety. Contact the appropriate local resources such as: fire and police, mechanical contractors, insurance, and utilities and recovery companies to report immediately.
2. Familiarize yourself with the locations of water closures for quick access and mark them accordingly. Prompt action is critical to minimize losses, reduce risks, and protect the property.
3. Electricity is the greatest risk. Look for water leaks through light fixtures or electrical boxes.
4. If water gets in, immediately disconnect the following devices: junction box, circuit breaker, and metering panel. After disconnecting the power, wrap protective tape around the affected area.
5. Identify the source of the water damage and assess the degree of contamination to determine a remediation plan. Be aware of possible health consequences depending on the level of contamination to notify emergency personnel when they arrive at the scene.
6. Identify potential environmental hazards such as lead or asbestos. Prolonged exposure to asbestos and/or lead can cause serious illness and serious health problems.
7. Move or protect valuable property from affected areas, including: electronics, computers, furniture, artwork, files and documents, clothing, etc.
8. Have basic items on hand, such as plastic trash bags (for use in hiding the above items and for disposal), protective tape, duct tape and basic hand tools.
9. Limit and/or isolate the damage area to protect personnel and emergency personnel on scene. Create a plastic barrier around the perimeter of the contaminated area and secure it with duct tape.
10. Begin recovery work with an on-site recovery partner to preserve, secure, and restore your property in a smooth working order.

There are situations when repairing residential water damage becomes a very big job. For example: structural materials that have been exposed to water for more than 24 hours need to be ripped out and replaced; mold that lurks deep in the walls requires special methods of dealing with it.

If you’re faced with something you can’t handle, let us help. You can count on Lawton Construction & Restoration for the best residential water damage restoration services in California. Give us a call at (866) 990-5150.