As a homeowner, even though it has not yet happened to you, you should still be worried with how to clean up the water damage. In fact, this is the worst nightmare scenario for any homeowner, and whether the damage is caused by a faucet that has not been switched off a burst pipe, a bad rainstorm, or a flash flood makes no difference. The truth is that in a very short time, water will do huge amounts of damage, and if you ever have to go through a cleanup, you should know what to do. Visit Ultimate Restoration Charlotte – Water Damage.

It is very clear that locating the water source and starting from there is the first thing you need to do. It is really straightforward to see if your bathtub or toilet has overflowed, or if rain has entered your basement or crawlspaces. On the other side, it might be very hard to get to the source if water is seeping through cracks in the roof, or if it stains the walls.
If you have a leaky roof, then you must immediately repair your roof so that any more damage can be avoided. You need to cut off your water supply if you have a leaky pipe or a burst pipe before you find the broken pipe.
You need to assess just how badly things are broken in your home before beginning your cleanup. Your drywall, floors, walls, and so on may have a limited amount of damage, or you may even have damage to the structural integrity of the building, including the foundation. It depends on how long you’ve had a leak, and how long your home has been ruined by water.
This article will continue with the premise that you have the time and facilities to tackle the cleaning on your own, because the very first thing you need to do is get fresh air flowing into the area that is damaged by water. You’ve got to open your windows, your doors, turn on your fans, get box fans, and so on. What you are trying to do is to dry out the area entirely, and later on, this will help to reduce unpleasant smells.
A dehumidifier is the next thing you are going to need and you need to get it going as soon as you can. The moisture will be taken out of the air by the dehumidifier, which will also help clean up the water damage and maybe even enhance the effects of the water damage.
You need to pick up books, magazines, pictures, cardboard, and any other paper items while you have plenty of air going and the dehumidifiers working. If they are not useful and if they are heavily damaged, you need to throw them away.
Much of your paperwork you should be able to make copies of but then make sure you throw away the damaged file. If you have badly damaged valuables, place them in a frost-free freezer, and find a specialist for water damage repair as soon as possible to see if they can be repaired and saved.
In the process, the next step will be to get a wet and dry vacuum to clean up all the water you can. With carpeting, upholstered chairs, wooden and tiled floors, you will find that the vacuum will be extremely helpful. Once you have washed up the majority of the water and to stop any more water damage to your house, you have to continue using the vacuum.
For wooden surfaces that have been weakened by water, you need to be particularly vigilant, so get the fans and dehumidifiers around your wooden surfaces as soon as possible so that they can dry out. You may want to try using new, warm water and mild detergent to clean treated wood while you have the machinery running. However you should realise that if the wood has not been handled effectively, unless you operate very quickly and efficiently, you will end up with permanent damage.
With mild detergent and new, clean water, you can also clean other surfaces, and you might even want to scrub them with a small brush if appropriate. If there are areas that have been seriously damaged by water or if your water emergency has significantly affected them, you will want to repeat the procedure.