What To Salvage and What To Throw Away

6/15/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO® of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade & Hancock Counties. 270-580-2200

Caring for your home under normal circumstances can be stressful. When you bring flooding into the picture, it can become a downright disaster. Once your family is safe and you’ve checked with your insurance, it’s time to begin content cleaning. This is the first step to returning your home to its previous condition.

Is It Safe to Keep?

Your instinct might be to try to throw away everything that has been submerged in flood waters. This isn’t necessary, however; there are many items you may be able to safely save, clean and restore. Depending on what type of water they were exposed to, items such as drapes, clothing and other material goods might be able to be saved by washing them. This could be in your washing machine or dry cleaning, depending on the type of material. Other items that could be saved and restored include these:

• Rugs
• Furniture
• Toys
• Collectibles

Don’t Risk It; Throw It Away

Certain items should always be thrown away once exposed to flooding. Content cleaning cannot save these, especially if they were exposed to black water. Flood waters will make these unsafe for use or consumption:

• Food or beverages
• Medical supplies
• Clothing or canvas items
• Building supplies such as carpets, pads, drywall, and wood floors

Getting Help Cleaning Up

It’s best to start cleanup as soon as it’s safe for you to enter the flooded area. You want to protect yourself with gloves, masks, long pants and sleeves and rubber-soled shoes. The less exposure to contaminated water and items, the better.

One thing is for certain, when doing content cleaning after water backup or residential flooding, don’t go at it alone. Get help from friends, family, or professionals. They’ll be able to help you sort out which items are salvageable, and which are better off sent to the dumpster and replaced with new ones.