How To Clean Your Home After a Flood

10/4/2021 (Permalink)

A flooded home in Seattle, WA.

Cleaning Requirements to Follow After a Flood

After a flood in Seattle, WA, cleaning up the damage to your home can seem like an overwhelming task. Thankfully, there are storm damage restoration experts who can make the process go more smoothly. In fact, there are certain items that should only be cleaned by professionals, including:

• Upholstered furniture
• Washing Machines
• Televisions
• Dryers
• Dishwashers
• Radios
• Vacuum cleaners
  
  

Still, there are some steps you can take to restore your home before professional assistance arrives. If you do want to do some tidying up after a storm, there are some cleaning requirements you should follow.

Disinfect Surfaces

To prevent germs from spreading throughout your flooded home, you should use a strong cleaner to wipe down every surface of your home. Then, apply a powerful disinfectant to each area. The EPA has a list of registered disinfectants that you can use.
You can even make your own flood disinfectant using a quarter cup of bleach for every gallon of water. Make sure to apply a bleach solution to your kitchen counters and cupboards before returning your dishes to those areas. Any contaminated items should be removed from the home as soon as possible.

Kitchen Cleaning Requirements

As part of your flood clean, you also need to disinfect any metal items in your kitchen, including pots, pans and silverware. However, chlorine bleach can cause metals to darken. You should thus clean these objects by placing them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, glass, china or porcelain dinnerware should be placed in a solution that has two tablespoons of bleach for every gallon of hot water.

Freeze Certain Valuables

After a flood, wipe the mud off important books or photographs and place them a frost-free freezer to prevent the growth of mildew. You can then thaw and clean them at a later date.
Follow these above cleaning requirements to preserve your belongings after a flood. Clean what you can, but leave the big projects to restoration professionals.