Okay, there’s no such thing as a “small flood” when you’re a homeowner. Any kind of flooding seems daunting. However, it’s important to keep a good sense of perspective when a flood, no matter how minimal, occurs. It’s also critical to take measures to sanitize the affected area.
Below, we’ve put together some of the ways you can get your house back to order and cleanliness as soon as possible post small levels of flooding. (Larger floods will need to be handled a little differently, though sanitation is, of course, an issue then as well.)
- Get safety glasses and gloves to wear during any clean-up activities.
- Clean up any standing water.
- Dry the area to reduce humidity.
- Use bleach (if it’s a surface that can handle bleach) to clean any areas.
- Watch for signs of mold and mildew. If you notice spots appearing, treat them with bleach or a mold/mildew-specific cleaner.
- If waterlogged items can’t be cleaned (either by you or a professional), throw them out immediately.
After you have cleaned the area, wait a few days to put everything back in place, as some areas may not be completely sanitized. (Some people like to clean twice, although this is entirely up to you.)
Small floods are never fun, but you can mitigate the problems they cause by disinfecting asap.
