Why Your Efforts To Mitigate Water Damage May Cause Further Problems

Flooding, for example, due to a burst pipe, can cause serious damage to your house. However, the actions you take after the flooding can even worsen the problem. Here are some of the measures that seem helpful, but they can lead to more costly problems:

Vacuuming To Dry Up the Floor

There are three main reasons you shouldn't vacuum while your house is still wet. First, you don't know the extent of the water damage especially with regards to electrical equipment. Since water conducts electricity, you can get a nasty shock even if you don't actually touch an electrical appliance or outlet. Secondly, an average vacuum cleaner is likely to get damaged when used on wet surfaces. Lastly, your vacuum cleaner may also suck up windswept debris such as fireplace ashes, paperclips, cereal, and others, which may also damage the vacuum.

Walking On Newspapers to Remove Stuff from the House

After the water has subsided, but the floor is still wet, you may be tempted to place newspapers in strategic places so that you can step on them to do some initial cleanup. Unfortunately, the newspapers can transfer ink on wet carpet fibers, and the ink will be almost impossible to remove. It's not advisable to get into a water-damaged house if you don't know the extent of the damage. If you have to get into the house, and you are sure it is safe, just get in with closed shoes without using newspapers.

Researching Water Damage Restoration Efforts

You should not use the period immediately after water damage for researching how to clean up the mess and dry up the house. This is not the time to go online for tips of watch YouTube videos for help.  If you don't have the skills already, call for emergency water mitigation services.

This is because water damage worsens with time; the time you are using for research allows the water to soak into materials and damage them further. A delay also increases the risk that a member of your household will be exposed to contaminants if contaminated water caused the flooding. Not only that, but it also allows mold to grow, and mold removal is another expense altogether.

You may think that DIY water damage restorations will save you money, but they can actually increase your restoration-related expenses. Unless you are actually skilled and experienced in water damage restoration, you should limit your efforts to plugging the source of the water and staying safe. Let an expert handle the rest of the restoration measures.