Flooding can bring a lot of problems to a home. This is why, after any form of flooding especially where furniture has been damaged, water damage restoration, Milwaukee companies should be on your phonebook. There are quick ways for you to do while waiting for the professional restorers to arrive.
Check the damage
If you have the go signal from the government to re-enter your flooded home, do so. Assess the damage that has been done in your home. It is not recommended to attempt to restore upholstery which has been sitting in a large amount of dirty floodwater. There are too much bacteria and pathogens to worry about. However, if you are looking at clean water damage while you were moving the furniture to a higher floor during the flood, you can still call professionals to reupholster or dehumidify. Wooden furniture might have better chances of being restored.
Hose it down
Bring your furniture outside if it is not too sunny. Hose down flood debris from your furniture. The water pressure should be able to remove some pathogens. You can also use wood alcohol for wooden furniture that shows mildew growth. Make sure you are wearing protective gear like masks and gloves while doing this.
Keep wood out of the sun
As much as possible, do not bring damaged wooden furniture into the sun. Air-dry it in the shade instead. Sunlight or extreme heat can also cause warping in damp, wooden furniture. Some amount of sun might be able to dry off upholstered furniture but it could also damage the wooden parts, so call your water damage restoration, Milwaukee company for advice. They will most likely ask you to leave the upholstered piece as it is. They have machinery which can dehumidify the piece more efficiently than regular air drying.
Don’t pull out drawers
When your wooden cabinets have been sitting in floodwaters, most likely, they will suffer from bloating. This will make it impossible for you to pull out cabinet drawers. Do not attempt to do so. The wood is bloated and warped and if you remove the drawers from their cavities, you won’t be able to put them back. Air dry them instead. If it is easy to do so, remove the back panel of your cabinet. Leave the cabinet drawers alone and let it be air-dried in the shade. You can also use fans to speed up the process. You can also wait for professional restorers to arrive so they can do this for you.
Assess the cost
There will be furniture pieces that are too damaged to be restored. Sometimes, restoring them would be possible but why should you do that if it will cost more to restore than to replace? Weigh your options. You may want to keep wooden items that can still be restored fully or antique heirlooms which are too priceless to be thrown out.
Invest
It is a must for you to invest in water damage restoration, Milwaukee services not only because you want to bring back your furniture pieces to their original shape, but because you want to maintain cleanliness in your home. Without drying and restoring your furniture properly after a flood, you may suffer from mold, mildew and other bacterial growths. If this is not addressed promptly, the health of your family can be put at risk.
At ERS, we offer water damage restoration, Milwaukee services by our highly-skilled technicians using the best commercial-grade tools. Contact us today for inquiries.