Water damage is a shockingly common problem for homeowners in the United States (and throughout the world). In fact, the odds are high that you will experience water damage of some degree in your home throughout your lifetime. With that in mind, it’s important that you know what to do if water damage ever hits your home. From our water damage restoration professionals at Aladdin’s Cleaning in the Lapeer area here are four water damage restoration tips that may come in handy for you.
You might think that water is water, whether it’s from flooding or a burst pipe, but flood damage is not covered under homeowner’s insurance. When you report the claim to the insurance company, make sure to specify whether the claim is for water damage or for flood damage, so they can begin adjusting your claim correctly. It’s also important that you are aware of this so you aren’t caught off guard by a denied claim if you try to file a water damage claim after your home floods.
The severity of a water damage event is largely dependent on how long the water remains in the home. Even the difference of a few more minutes of exposure to water can make the difference of whether some items vulnerable to water can be salvaged or not. This is why it’s so critical that you begin the water damage restoration process as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the greater the damage will be so putting off beginning the restoration process for even a few hours can be a major mistake.
Not all floodwater is the same. Certain types of floodwater are more dangerous because of the level of contamination they contain. The most heavily contaminated type of floodwater (also known as black water) is the most dangerous type of floodwater. Black water gets its name because it contains raw sewage and/or harsh chemicals. This type of floodwater should only be handled by trained professionals with hazmat gear since contact with such contamination can lead to serious illness and even death in some cases.
It’s easy to underestimate how quickly a mold problem can develop in your home. In fact, mold only requires 24-48 hours to begin growing after a flood in some cases. Unless you act quickly to remove the water, it’s inevitable that you will have to deal with mold damage in the long run.
While water damage is an inescapable reality for most people at some point during their lives, being prepared and knowing how to handle water damage will go a long way towards mitigating the problem. At Aladdin’s Cleaning in Lapeer, we hope you find the above tips helpful and don’t hesitate reaching out to us for help if your home is ever flooded.