10 steps to help take you from under water to under control
BY World Special Publications
Monday, November 05, 2012
Water emergencies happen when you’re least expecting it. The longer you take to remove the water, the greater the damage. Stanley Steemer’s professionals understand that dealing with water damage can be overwhelming.
Common water emergencies include:
• Flooding caused by natural disasters
• Pipes bursting
• Overflowing sump pump
• Appliance malfunction
• Structural failures
Stanley Steemer provides the following emergency checklist to help you navigate the process and alleviate some of the anxiety caused by a water incident:
1. As quickly as possible, eliminate the source of the water.
2. If safe to do so, turn off circuit breakers supplying electricity to wet areas and remove any small electrical devices from those areas.
3. To minimize damage, avoid walking on wet carpet any more than necessary.
4. Remove small furnishings from carpet, or place aluminum foil under legs to help prevent rust or furniture stains, which may become permanent.
5. Hang draperies and pin up furniture skirts to avoid contact with wet floors, which helps to prevent watermarks.
6. Remove breakables, moisture-sensitive and high-value items, books, shoes, paper goods, fabrics, potted plants and any other items that may stain floor coverings. (Remember to check under beds and other furniture.)
7. Plan for restoration crews to move furniture into unaffected dry areas.
8. Make sure to practice good personal hygiene after handling affected items.
9. To avoid the chance of electrical shock, do not use a home vacuum or shop vac to remove water.
10. If sewage related, do not handle any contaminated items and do not turn on fans, heating or air conditioning units as they may spread the contamination.
