Heavy rains could easily result in flooding, especially if you live in a flood-prone area where rainwater could easily gather and build up. Flooding could also happen when there’s a busted water pipe or a faulty sump pump near your basement. When this happens, you face significant and long-term damage to your home and your basement. If you have a basement that floods, you should take immediate action to remove the water and prevent further damage. Here are a few tips on what to do if your basement floods:
1. Don’t Panic, and Try to Stay Away from the Flooded Areas
First and foremost, if you have a basement that floods, you should try to stay calm and stay away from any areas of your home that are flooded. Floodwater is often dirty and could contain harmful contaminants that could make you sick. Plus, floodwater could also be electrically charged, which means there is a risk of electrocution if you come into contact with it.
2. Turn Off the Electricity
Once the water starts seeping through your floors and doorways, it’s time to shut off the electricity in your home. Floodwater and electricity do not mix, and you could be seriously injured or even killed if you come into contact with floodwater that is electrically charged. By shutting it off immediately, you can prevent any potential electrical hazards.
3. Remove Any Wet Items
Once the electricity is shut off, you should start removing any wet items from your basement. This includes things like carpeting, furniture, and any other belongings that have been soaked by the floodwater. These items should be removed as soon as possible so they can start drying out.
4. Pump Out the Floodwater
If you have any pumps on hand that can help pump out the water in your home, it could help a lot with the cleanup. This can be done with a sump pump or a wet/dry vacuum. Be sure to pump the water out of your basement slowly, so you don’t cause any structural damage to your home. As long as there’s still a lot of water in your basement, you’ll have a hard time cleaning it up.
5. Find the Source of Flooding
Once your basement is dry, you need to start finding the source of the flooding. If you have a sump pump, it could have failed and caused flooding. If you have a septic tank, it could have overflowed and caused the flooding. There are a lot of potential causes of flooding, and you need to find the one that caused your particular flooding. If you’re not sure, you can always call a plumber or a septic tank professional to come and take a look.
6. Clean Up Any Mud and Debris
Once the water is gone, you’ll be left with a bunch of mud and debris in your basement. You need to start cleaning this up as soon as possible. You can use a regular broom and dustpan to clean up most of the mud. You might also need to use a shop vac to clean up any wet debris that’s left behind.
7. Clean and Disinfect Everything
After removing all the mud and debris, you need to start cleaning and disinfecting everything in your basement. This includes all surfaces, floors, walls, and any other areas that got wet. You can use a regular cleaning solution to clean most areas. However, you might need to use a stronger disinfectant on any areas that got really wet.
8. Dry Out Your Basement
As soon as everything is cleaned and disinfected, you need to start drying out your basement. You can do this by opening up all of the windows and doors. You can also use fans and dehumidifiers to help dry out your basement. If you have a lot of wet items in your basement, you might need to rent a commercial dehumidifier to help dry them out.
Conclusion
If your basement ever floods, these tips can help you perform an initial cleanup of your basement. However, the best thing to do is to call a professional to help you clean and dry the area as soon as possible. If you try to do it yourself, you could end up causing more damage, and it could take longer to fix.
DryZone is a Florida restoration company serving the people of Naples, Fort Myers, and other areas in Southwest Florida. We offer a wide variety of services including water damage restoration, mold removal, fire damage restoration, and storm damage restoration. Whenever you need help cleaning up your flooded basement, work with a reliable water damage company in Fort Myers. Contact DryZone today to request a service.