Water Removal as Fast as You Can

Mop, mop, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me – I’m the water damage man!

While the above is a silly little rhyme, keep it in mind the next time your house springs a leak or gets flooded. The urgency is real! Whether it’s a slow, seeping leak or a full blown water emergency, the sooner you get that water mopped up the less damage you will have to contend with later. Let’s take a look at a couple of scenarios.

Scenario #1: Dishwasher Overflow

The dishwater has overflowed and you are already late for work. You manage to turn off the water and power, but don’t have time to deal with mopping up the water until after work. No worries, right? It’s just water – and it’s clean water. Wrong. As the water sits in a puddle on your kitchen floor, it’s causing damage. It’s seeping into your hardwood floors or through the tile grout. It’s lapping against the bases of your kitchen cabinets, damaging them slowly but surely. It may even get to your drywall or seep into nearby drapes or carpets causing stains at best or, if undetected, future mildew growth.

Scenario #2: Leaking Roof

Your roof springs a leak and water is pouring in. Despite your best efforts, pots and pans did not fully catch and contain the water and you didn’t notice the water that collected at the bottom of one of the interior walls. A few days later, the roof has been patched and the pots and pans put away. But a lingering smell permeates the house: mildew.

Scenario #3: Burst Water Pipe

A pipe bursts while you are on vacation. A neighbor notices that water is flowing out of your home through the gap below your front door. He shuts off the main water valve to your home and tracks you down at your hotel. You arrive home as quickly as you can but it’s been several days since the pipe burst and flooded your home. What awaits you? A severely water damaged house with black mold throughout!

Each of these scenarios could be improved with a prompt water removal response. In the case of the overflowing dishwasher, water removal isn’t that difficult. Since most kitchen floors are either tile, linoleum, or hardwood, mopping up the water after an overflow is relatively easy. Letting the water sit allows it to seep and damage surfaces that would normally resist water for a short time. By ignoring the problem for the time being, damaged kitchen cabinets, loose tiles or warped floorboards, and mildew on nearby surfaces could result! These same damages could be prevented by promptly removing water!

After a storm, it’s always a smart idea to inspect the interior for signs of water leaks and mop up the water ASAP. After all, not only can unnoticed water damage surfaces, it attracts mold. Not only will surface repairs need to be made, the mold and its resulting odor will also need to be dealt with.

As for the burst pipe while away from home, there’s not much you can do from afar other than count on the help of your neighbors. However, you can prepare for emergencies while you’re away by giving a trusted neighbor a key to your home and asking him to keep an eye on the house while you’re gone. In scenario #3, had the attentive neighbor called a water extraction company and allowed the pros in with the house key, most of the water damage would have been prevented.

No matter how the water arrived, mopping it up as fast as you can is essential in minimizing the damage. All homeowners should be prepared for the possibility of a flood or plumbing accident. Make sure that you know:

· Where the circuit breakers are located so that you can turn of the electricity before risking your life

· Where the main and local water shut-off valves are located so that you can stop the flow of water

· Where your mop up supplies are located

Invest in a good mop, clean, absorbent towels and sponges, a wet vac-type vacuum cleaner, a bucket, fans, and plastic sheeting or a large tarp (for an emergency roof patch). Keep your water damage cleanup supplies where they are readily accessible and be prepared to use them at the first sight of the water damage man.

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907

239-437-7100

<A HREF="http://www.dryout.net">Water Damage</A>

Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.