How Do I Clean Up After the Finished Basement Floods?

The First Steps

• Remove all furniture from the basement as soon as the floodwaters have receded. Place furniture in a garage or other covered area to dry. Open doors and drawers to allow air to circulate through any enclosed areas. You may be tempted to place furniture outdoors in the sun. While this may be a good idea for metal or plastic furniture, the sun can warp and damage wood furniture. Upholstered furniture that has been soaked by floodwaters may need to be discarded if it cannot be thoroughly cleaned and dried.

Removing Damaged Carpet and Walls

• Carpeting and padding must be removed from the floor to allow complete drying of the concrete or subfloor. Because it can be difficult to completely clean and disinfect carpet and padding, you will probably need to throw away these items. Wallboard will also need to be thrown out. Even if wallboard looks fine when it dries, mud and contaminants may have seeped into the board's interior. If the walls are sagging, drill a few holes in them to allow water to drain out before you remove the wallboard. Throw out waterlogged cellulose and fiberglass insulation. Styrofoam insulation can be hosed off and reused in some cases.

Cleaning Procedures

• Shovel any mud or debris on the floors into buckets. A fine layer of dirt will remain, but this can be removed later during the more intensive phase of cleaning. Clean floors, walls, closets, appliance surfaces, sinks and plumbing fixtures with a mixture of ½ cup laundry detergent in 1 gallon of hot water. Don’t operate appliances or the furnace until an electrician has checked these items and determined that they are safe to use.

  Open windows and doors and place fans in the basement to speed drying time. Prop open closet and cabinet doors to allow air circulation in these areas. Keep fans running for at least two or three days, even if it appears that the basement is dry. Chances are that small pockets of moisture remain and you can avoid mold growth by continuing to use fans.

  Wash fabrics and other small, soft items, such as pillows, in a washing machine on the hot water cycle. If these items have an odor after washing, you may want to dispose of them. Immediately wipe mud from important photographs or papers that can’t be replaced. Place stones or weights in the corner of the papers or photographs to allow these items to dry without warping.