Flood Cleanup Tips for Sawyer County

5/3/2018 (Permalink)

Flooded home:

As the snow and ice has quickly melted, you may be standing in a flooded area.  Here are a few tips from American Red Cross that can help you cleanup up after a flood.  If the job is just too large, give the professional team at SERVPRO of Hayward a call at 715-634-0699.  

Tips:

• Wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots, and be cautious when cleaning up.
• Learn more about how to clean up after a flood, including the supplies you’ll need, how to sanitize food contact surfaces, and how to repair water damage.
• Be careful when moving furnishings or debris, because they may be waterlogged and heavier.
• Throw out items that absorb water and cannot be cleaned or disinfected. This includes mattresses, carpeting, cosmetics, stuffed animals and baby toys.
• Throw out all food, beverages and medicine exposed to flood waters and mud. When in doubt, throw it out. This includes canned goods, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and containers with food or liquid that has been sealed shut.
• Pump out flooded basements gradually (about one-third of the water per day) to avoid structural damage. If the water is pumped out completely in a short period of time, pressure from water-saturated soil on the outside could cause basement walls to collapse.
• Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are health hazards.