If your floor is flooded with standing water, it is important to mop and dry it with a cloth in 72 hours. Failing to do so can result in damages on your flooring which will cause you more money to replace them. Mold will start to appear when you procrastinate and did not dry the floor in 72 hours. This includes moisture above and beneath the floor. The types of damages that can happen to the flooring include buckled hardwood, damage on the foundation, and swollen laminate flooring.
If the flood occurs in your basement, you should first turn off the basement breaker switch. Doing so can reduce the risk of getting electrocuted when you are wading in the water. You can call the electrician to help you turn off the circuit breaker switch if it is located in the basement. After turning off the power, you can safely go down into the basement and assess the level of flooding.
Before you can dry the floor, make sure you remove all furniture, carpets and other items that can be saved. You must try to locate the source of the flooding for example sump pump not working or leaking plumbing. If you can’t locate the source, it is best that you don’t attempt to dry the floor yourself and call a professional to help you instead.
If there is only a little bit of water puddle, you can dry it up yourself with some towels. You can rent a dehumidifier to dry up the wet floor and furniture. If there are some wet boxes, make sure you have all the contents removed and dried. For carpet, you can dry it by placing dry towels over it to absorb the water. When you are drying the floor in your basement, you must make sure that the temperature does not surpass 75 degrees. If the temperature gets higher than 75 degrees, you can encourage the growth of bacteria in the basement.
Hardwood is harder to be absorbed moisture because its hardwood make it difficult for water to enter. On the other hand, it is also difficult for hardwood to release moisture once it has absorbed the moisture. If your hardwood flooring is flooded, you must first check the flooring to determine if they can be salvaged. Hardwood flooring that is just buckled a little bit can usually be salvaged. For drying hardwood flooring, it is recommended that you seek the help of a professional.
You should always check your floor for any moisture or water puddle after a heavy rain or storm. If you don’t know how to check the moisture, you can call a professional to perform the moisture inspection on your floor.
