Time is of the essence when it comes to repairing water damage. Quickly removing the water and drying any affected structures prevents mold, structural collapse, and other serious risks like electrical fires and health hazards. Whether your water damage was caused by an overflowing toilet or a pipe bursting, take a few minutes to learn about the best ways to recover from water damage with your safety, property preservation, and budget in mind.
Stop The Source Of The Water Invasion
The best drying and repair efforts are all for nothing until you’ve stopped the flow of water. If your water problems are caused by a plumbing issue, turning off your water supply line and shutting off the electricals is the first step. If it’s a simple toilet or kitchen drain clog, you may be able to clear the blockages with a plunger, chemical drain cleaner, or a drain snake. For other serious water problems like damaged roofing or a broken sump pump, our Philadelphia restoration services can help you patch up the leaks or repair the sump pump before moving on to the next steps.
After stopping the source of the leak, flooding, or drainage issue, it’s time to begin the water removal, drying, and repair processes. Here are some tips you can try at home before calling in the professionals.
Remove As Much Of The Water As You Can
As long as you aren’t dealing with excessive amounts of water (or dangerous sewage water), you can often remove the bulk of the water on your own. Grab a mop, a bucket, and as many towels as you can. If carpeting and other porous furnishings were affected, a water removal vacuum can be rented from many hardware stores.
Soak up as much of the pooling or puddling as you can with the mop. Run the water vacuum over soaked carpeting and furnishings until you are no longer pulling up moisture. After soaking up the majority of the surface water, the towel dries any surfaces that you are unable to reach with the mop/vacuum.
For serious flooding and massive leaks, mops, towels, and wet vacuums will be ineffective. If that’s the case for your property, we arrive with state-of-the-art water pumps to rapidly extract the water. We assist with clean water removals, sewage flooding, and every other kind of hazardous wastewater that requires professional removal techniques.
After the water has been removed, it’s time to begin the disposal, drying, and repair processes.
Dispose Of Compromised Structures
Any structures that are severely soaked should be removed to prevent collapse and mold formation. For flooring-related water issues, you may need to remove carpeting or panels because subfloor padding and underlayment can trap moisture. If your ceilings were soaked, remove ceiling panels if you have them. For soaked walls, certain sections of drywall may need to be cut out to effectively evaporate the supporting structures within your walls.
Ventilate & Dry The Area
Open any available windows, and place fans strategically throughout the soaked area. Do not power your fans using the outlets in the affected area; run an extension cord from an area that was not impacted by water, or utilize an alternative power source to prevent the risk of an electrical hazard.
While your typical home fans and a hair dryer may be effective for minor soakings or wet spots, most water damage issues require powerful air movers and professional-grade dehumidifiers to properly dry the underlying structures. Our licensed pros arrive with advanced air circulation equipment to every water damage cleanup in Philadelphia, and back our drying expertise with objective moisture-metering to verify that the moisture is completely evaporated.
Decontaminate, Repair, & Replace As Needed
In general, porous materials like drywall and warped flooring will require replacement. For sturdier materials, decontaminating the surfaces and performing partial repairs is often a possibility. If supporting structures are dried quickly and undamaged, resealing material cracks and recoating surfaces can be a cost-effective way to prevent complete rebuilds or replacements.
With nearly every type of water damage, what can be saved and what needs to be replaced often depends on how quickly the water damage is addressed. While many basic DIY repairs and replacements can be performed independently, water damage comes with a range of risks and we always recommend that you seek professional guidance before attempting serious fixes alone.
Contact our experts for water problems big or small, and allow our organized processes to simplify the water cleanup from start to finish.
We offer water damage restoration services in Philadelphia and surrounding areas:
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Bucks County, PA;
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Burlington County, NJ;
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Camden County, NJ;
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Delaware County, PA;
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Mercer County, NJ;
- Water Damage Restoration Services in Montgomery County, PA.
