How to Clean Up Flood Damage

Dress properly to clean up after flood. Wear an N-95 respirator, rubber gloves, long pants, a long sleeved shirt and closed-toe shoes.

Open all the windows to encourage air circulation and speed up the drying process. Remove under floor insulation and vent covers for the same reason.

Throw away furniture items that can't safely be cleaned, including mattresses and fabric-upholstered furniture that has deep mold.

Take the remaining items outside to dry in the sun. For items that you cannot remove from the building, you can speed up the drying process by using dehumidifiers and electric fans.

Rip out carpet and carpet padding. Throw away the carpet padding; it cannot be salvaged and must be replaced. Use fresh water to wash hardwood floors to clear them of silt and mud. Pay special attention to corners and crevices between flooring planks that may contain embedded silt and mud.

Use a stiff scrub brush dipped in a mixture of disinfecting detergent and water to clean the flooring. Allow hardwood floors to dry naturally; using fans or heaters to speed the process can cause wood warp. Weight or shore the floors to discourage wood warp while drying naturally.

Check the furniture and other items drying outdoors. If an item has dried completely, spray it with disinfectant.

Dip a scrub brush in a non-phosphate cleaner, and thoroughly clean each dry, disinfected item, then let each dry completely in the sunshine

Check all items for mold growth after a few days. Re-clean any item with mold on it. If the mold grows back after the second cleaning, throw the item away or have it professionally cleaned.