Water damage in your home or place of business is an awful situation to deal with. Water can damage your home, business, belongings and even be dangerous to your health. You will need to act fast and decide whether or not you will need a professional water damage restoration company. There are certain situations where you can deal with the water damage yourself. However, many times you’ll need help from a professional company.
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3 Types of Water Damage and Ways to Deal With Them
There are 3 types of water damage. Each type of damage should be dealt with the right way.
1) Clean Water Damage
Clean water is water that’s clear and comes from a clean source. This is the least dangerous type of water damage. For example, if a refrigerator ice maker line breaks, the leaking water will be clean. If you have clean water damage, you’ll want to soak it up, dry and clean the affected area immediately. If water sits for too long, it has the potential to develop mold.
2) Gray Water Damage
Gray water is water that may have some contaminants. An example of gray water is water leaking from a dishwasher or washing machine. If you clean up gray water immediately and sanitize everything it touched, you may not need professional water damage restoration. However, it can also depend on the amount of water that’s doing the damage. If it’s too much of a job to soak up, clean and sanitize, you’ll want professional help.
3) Toxic or Black Water Damage
Toxic or black water has contaminants, toxins and pathogens that are harmful to your health. Water damage from sewer backup or a toilet overflow with urine and feces is considered toxic water damage. You will definitely want to call in a professional for toxic water damage restoration.
Health and Safety First
When you first notice that you have water damage, practice health and safety measures while evaluating the situation. Wear rubber gloves, boots and a mask during your investigation. If you find that the water source is from clean water, do your best to get rid of as much water as possible. Then decide if you can get the damaged area dry and clean yourself. If the water damage is from gray or toxic, black water, you will want to call a water damage restoration company to come take a look. After you’re done investigating, be sure to change clothes. Wash those clothes separately and in hot water. Be sure to wash your face, hands or even take a shower with anti-bacterial soap to be sure you don’t spread any contaminants.
The Preparation of Water Damage Restoration
If there wasn’t much water and the water was clean, you can most likely take care of the restoration yourself. Soak up as much water as you can with towels. Use a wet vacuum to soak up the rest. Use a dehumidifier to get as much moisture out of the air as possible. Use fans to dry the area more quickly and more thoroughly.
Demolition and Decontamination
If you have quite a bit of gray water damage or any amount of black, toxic water damage, call a water damage restoration company. They may need to remove anything the water touched, including flooring, carpeting, drywall and more. They will decontaminate and sanitize the area. Then they will work with you to replace what they removed and restore your home.
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Hiring a Water Damage Restoration Company
If you think you need water damage restoration service, it’s best to be safe and call in the professionals. We are confident we can help, and want be your first choice in water damage restoration New Orleans.
If you’d like to know more about how we can help you, call us for a FREE Consultation at (504)326-6999.