Don’t let Water Damage Impact Your Home | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County

2/15/2019 (Permalink)

Don’t let Water Damage Impact Your Home | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County - SERVPRO OF NORTH KENOSHA COUNTY Blog

Water damage from burst pipes, malfunctioning appliances or even storm damage is one of the most common and costliest disasters your home may experience.

But there are plenty of ways to safeguard your home from this common issue that homeowners deal with. Read on for some helpful suggestions.

<h4your-home">Protecting Your Home

Not only will you be dealing with the damage caused by water, but it can have a long-term impact on your home. Since mold begins to grow 24–48 hours after moisture exposure, mold is one of the most common side effects of water damage.

When coming up with ways to protect your home, it may be helpful to break your plan down by areas of impact, such as by basements, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and ceilings.

You can help prevent water damage in the basement by making sure water drains away from our home’s foundation and preventing water seepage. To prevent water seepage, reseal vulnerable areas of the basement. Also look into installing a backwater valve if your home does not have one.

Your kitchen and bathrooms can experience water damage due to plumbing issues and appliance failures.

Be sure you:

• Regularly inspect all appliances, checking hoses and faucets
• Ensure that your tubs and showers are watertight by checking the seals and caulking around them
• Know the location of the main water shut-off valve is in your home
• Run your washing machine and dishwasher when you are home

It will be difficult to protect the possessions in your home from water damage, but there are things you can do to at least decrease the amount of destruction. The use of waterproof bins for storing items is always advised, as is storing items up off of the floor on shelves, especially in basements and garages.

<h4from-water-damage">Recovering From Water Damage

In the unfortunate event your home does experience a water damage situation, you can stand a good chance at salvaging items if they can be dried out within 48 hours.

Make sure that you immediately contact your insurance agent and evaluate the extent of the water damage in your home. You will need to identify the type of water that is involved.

The three types of water are:

1. “Clean” water. Can be from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, etc.

2. “Gray” water. Slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, etc.

3. “Black” water. Water from sewage or serious flooding from nearby rivers, etc. This water can cause serious health problems.

Following a water damage disaster, you will need to remove wet objects, get your home dried out, dehumidify the area and disinfect any remaining materials.

Pro tip: Place any wet books, photos and papers in a frost-free freezer, which will allow you time to get your home back in order, preventing mold and mildew from developing and causing more deterioration. Once able, you can remove them from the freezer and air-dry or fan-dry the pages.

It may seem like recovering from water damage is an overwhelming and slightly impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be. You can call on the highly trained experts at SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County, who are here to make it "Like it never even happened."