If you or someone you love is dealing with damages from flooding, a leak, or broken appliances, you probably have a lot of questions, and rightly so.

Water causes all sorts of problems, some of which are very hazardous, long term, and extremely expensive to deal with. There are usually no quick fixes or easy answers. Proper water damage restoration takes expertise, time and money. So when your home is affected by flooding or a leak, it naturally fills you with anxiety and questions.

Allow us to help ease your anxiety a bit by providing the most important details you need to know about flooding and water damage repair. They could help you make the best of a bad situation.

What You Should Know About Water Damage

Many don’t realize that flood damage is much more sinister than their belongings getting wet. Simply drying items doesn’t make them safe or salvageable.

So, to help you determine what you can keep, what you can restore, and what you need to toss after flooding or leaks occur, here are some important things you should know about it:

  • Standing water, even if it has only been present for 12-24 hours, can seep through your drywall and insulation, and even compromise the wood frame behind it.
  • Furniture can suffer damage even if it is not sitting in standing water, because of the dampness and moisture in the room.
  • Mold develops within 24-48 hours.
  • Upholstered furniture, rugs, and materials quickly results in the development of mold, mildew and bacteria, all of which are serious health hazards.
  • Undetected moisture can continue to damage materials, causing them to shrink, split, delaminate, and deteriorate.

The bottom line, water damage is often not visible to the eye, and serious, hazardous consequences can develop in a very short period of time. It takes proper equipment and knowledge to fully achieve water damage repair.

DIY Water Damage Restoration Tips

While you definitely need to call in the professionals for serious damage, there are some things that you can do on your own to lessen the impact and restore your items. Here are some quick tips:

  • Set to work IMMEDIATELY since deterioration and mold development happens fast and repairs are more costly and difficult the longer you wait.
  • Turn off electricity to the flooded area.
  • Remove all furniture and items from the room as quickly as possible.
  • Pull up the carpet and pad, they will need to be trashed.
  • Remove the water and ventilate the area by opening windows and placing a humidifier in the room.

The above steps, when executed as quickly as possible, can prevent problems from spreading or becoming severe and lessen repair costs significantly. For more tips, check out this article on how to save your furniture from water damage.

When To Call Professional Water Damage Repair Services

That said, in many cases, you will still need to call in water damage restoration companies to professionally assess and restore your property and belongings.

If the water has been standing for over 12-24 hours, you will definitely want to call in the professionals. By that point, you would have mold and mildew developing and potentially dangerous bacterial growth. A professional restoration service will be able to detect and properly remove these so that your home is safe.

Choosing Restoration Companies

When looking for restoration companies, you will want to be careful to choose one that has experience and proper certifications. This is no time to call in the average handy man.

Different types of materials must be treated and restored carefully, or else they could be ruined. A certified and experienced repair service will know how to treat your home and belongings without damaging them further.

If you live in the Denver, Colorado area, you can look to Restoration Logistics for your restoration needs.