Common Homeowner Water Damage Mistakes to Avoid

2/25/2021 (Permalink)

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Common Homeowner Water Damage Mistakes to Avoid!

When you home suffers from a water damage event, the process of minimizing damage and restoring a property to its original condition can be stressful time. Unfortunately many homeowners are not fully aware of the proper process for cleanup and restoration and make common mistakes while trying to help. These mistakes can make restoring a home even more challenging. 

Following are some helpful tips that can help homeowners avoid common mistakes, which will reduce the cost, time, and stress for making a water damage event "Like it never even happened." 

Mistake #1: Trying to self-clean and restore their home after a water damage event.

We have all been there; we want to save time and money so we try to take on a project in our home. Water damage to your home should not be treated as a normal project. If you the amount of water is covering multiple rooms or has shown damage to cabinets or other structural components, you do not want to just try and mop it all up and put a fan or two on it. The problem is most homeowners do not have the right experience and equipment to properly handle a water damage. Water easily seeps into areas that you may not know to look or have the ability to check. Properly drying out building materials is a difficult task and one best left to a professional.

Mistake #2: Not Calling a Professional Soon Enough.

One of our taglines at SERVPRO is 'Faster to any size disaster.' This isn't just a fancy and good sounding branding effort, it is because arriving and acting fast is a critical aspect of effective water damage restoration. Water tends to spread fast, traveling behind walls, cabinets, appliances, and underneath flooring. Once that happens, mold can grow and further damage walls, furniture, and other materials. Mold can begin to grow less than 24-48 hours after water exposure depending on other circumstances in the home (humidity level, pre-existing water damage, temperature, etc.). 

To quickly find the source of the water damage and shut it off, and then to immediately begin the water extraction and drying process is crucial for your home's restoration. Calling a professional water damage cleanup and restoration company is the best way to do that. 

Mistake #3: Not Taking Safety Precautions.

Being in a home that recently suffered from a recent water damage evet can be dangerous, especially if the water damage came from flood waters, sewage back up or other 'category 3' type sources. Along with potential biohazard contaminations, potential slips and falls from wet flooring and stairways can also create a dangerous situation. Care must be taking when operating any electronic device or appliance because turning on electronics or touching electronic devices can result in electric shocks or further damage to the property. 

Saturated building materials can fail, and debris can lead to slips and falls.  The best thing a homeowner can do after eliminating the source of the water (if possible) and calling a water restoration company is to leave the building and stay out.

Mistake #4: Not Realizing the True Amount of Damage to Your Home.

The amount of damage caused by a water damage event isn’t always immediately visible. If you take the "Do It Yourself" approach and only clean up the visible water, you will most likely discover mold or unpleasant odors lingering in furniture, floors, and walls in the near future. 

To properly evaluate the true amount of damage from a water event, you must follow through with industrial standards for cleanup and deodorization. This may include antimicrobial treatments or sanitization processes and is something a professional restoration company is best suited to handle. 

A proper evaluation of the damage is also vital for insurance reasons. Some insurance providers will deny claims where homeowners attempt repairs themselves or delay calling a professional to document the damage. The best way to ensure a policy covers the full cost of a restoration is to work with a reputable restoration company and contact them immediately.

SERVPRO of Venice works with all local, state, and national insurance companies, and is a preferred vendor for many of them. If your home suffers from a water damage event, call us 24/7 365 days a year at 941-484-7777. We are here to help.