Solutions to Cleaning Up Floods

Precautions

• Before dealing with any flooded areas of your house, ensure that access to the area is restricted to children and pets. Turn off all electricity and gas in your house before you enter any standing water. Electricity is conducted through water, and an electrical surge while you are in the water could lead to serious injury or death. Don all the proper safety equipment, including rubber boots and rubber gloves; floodwater should be approached as if it's contaminated with sewage.

Equipment

• When you are ready to begin evacuating your home of flood waters, invest in a quality sump pump. This is the fastest way to remove the water yourself, although it still may take quite a long time. Certain wet vacuums are capable of removing water, but their small capacities make the task tedious and long-lasting. In particularly bad circumstances, you may want to hire professionals to remove the water from your house; the longer water sits in your house, the greater risk it poses to you and your family.

Cleaning Floors After a Flood

• If you have hard floors, rinse them after a flood and squeegee them to remove the contaminated water and sediment. Then mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup bleach into 1 gallon of water and use this mixture to wash all contaminated surfaces, including floors and walls. Let the surfaces remain damp from this bleach-and-water mixture for at least 30 minutes before you rinse them with water and dry them. The bleach disinfects and may also deodorize after a flood.

Checking Appliances

• After a flood, verify the integrity of all your household appliances and electrical outlets before you use them. This includes appliances like water heaters, air conditioners, clothes washers and dryers, furnaces, and any other appliances that operate on gas, oil, or electricity. Iowa State University recommends replacing small appliances instead of attempting to repair them, as the cost outweighs the value of the appliance. Correct water damage on larger, more expensive appliances immediately.