Flooding Cleanup Requires Safety Precautions

10/20/2020 (Permalink)

There are three categories of water damage

Although any type of flooding in your Spring Hill, TN, home can be overwhelming to deal with, not all flood damage is the same. Before diving in and tackling the mess, it’s important to understand the type of waters that have infiltrated your home to develop the best plan of action.

Water Categories

There are three classifications of water damage:

Clean Water – This type is considered safe and typically comes from a pipe burst, melting snow, rainwater, toilet holding tanks or another clean source that is free of potentially harmful debris or microorganisms.
Grey Water – This is water generated from showers, appliances and sinks that don’t contain fecal matter but my have potentially harmful contaminants if ingested.
Black Water – When natural flooding occurs or a sewer backup happens, it falls into this category. It is water that is ripe with fecal matter, bacteria, chemicals and other particulates that pose potential safety hazards.

Added Safety Measures
Once you know the type of water you are dealing with, you can determine the best way to get the cleanup process. If it is the third category, you will need much more than just a bucket and towels. Depending on the severity of the damage, the following PPE may be needed to start sorting through belongings:

• Watertight, electrically insulated boots
  
• Waterproof, heavy-duty work gloves
  
• Safety goggles and protective head cover
  
• Long pants and long-sleeves shirts or disposable suit
  
  

Since black water has contaminants, many of your belongings may not be salvageable. Even if items, such as furniture or drapes, seem to have minimal damage, water wicking up walls and absorbing into carpeting can quickly spread. To ensure more items are saved and the cleanup is done right, rely on the expertise of water damage and restoration specialists. They will have the know-how and tools to get the job done safely and the right way.
Instead of adding to the overwhelming situation by taking on the cleanup yourself, count on a professional that is Faster to Any Size Disaster.