Until Help Arrives – What You Can do to Help

8/27/2018 (Permalink)

When you have a disaster that results in water damage, whether it is a leak or a flood, you know to call in the professionals. But after you call it can feel like you’re just waiting around while the problem gets worse. Here at SERVPRO of Charlottesville, we never want you to feel that way. We are trying to get to your home as quickly as we are able, but we also want to give you some steps to take while you wait. These steps can help speed up the drying process and prevent further damage.

1. The first is fairly obvious, you can remove excess water by mopping or blotting if possible. If you can contain the damage through mopping or towels this can protect your home from further damage.
2. Along the same lines, you can remove items from wood tables or furniture and wipe excess water off before it has a chance to soak in.
3. You can also remove wet upholstery and cushions and prop them up where air can reach both sides of the cushion.
4. If it’s summertime, you can turn up your air conditioning which will help your items dry faster.
5. A side effect of water damage that’s often forgotten is staining. When two items of differing colors are touching and then get wet, their colors can bleed. To prevent this or to keep it at a minimum, you should remove any colored rugs that are lying on top of carpet. You can also place tin foil in between furniture legs and wet carpeting to prevent the furniture from staining the carpet.
6. You will also want to remove your more sensitive items from the affected area as quickly as possible. Take your art pieces out of the wet area and to a safe place.
7. You can also gather loose items off the floor.

Taking these steps could help save some of your belongings from worse damage and will help return your home to preloss condition sooner. This can seem like a lot to remember, especially in the midst of a disaster. But even the small things that you can do will help our team make it “Like it never even happened.”