Why Do I Need To Clean My Home After A Pipe Bursts?

5/21/2020 (Permalink)

Homeowners have to deal with many things which may include water damage. Contact SERVPRO right away.

SERVPRO Helps Ensure Water Cleanup Exercises in Glen Cove Address All Underlying Issues that Lead to Problems after Water Spills

It may seem absurd that you have to do extensive cleaning around your Glen Cove home when a pipe releases gallons of clean water that flows all over your house. However, a combination of several factors necessitates cleaning to restore the property to its preloss state.

What typical reasons compel people to perform water cleanup in their Glen Cove homes?

• For the safety of the occupants.
• To ensure a comfortable stay.
• To protect the structure or contents. 

As the water pools around on hard floor surfaces such as tiles or concrete, it leaves them slippery, increasing the chances of slip-and-fall accidents around the house. Water intrusion also sparks microbial growth, especially if moisture management is postponed. Microbial growth can lead to respiratory issues if left to progress unhindered. 

Once water spills, evaporation starts immediately, which raises the humidity levels inside the house. At best, it is uncomfortable to stay in a house once relative humidity exceeds 60%. Bad odor can also develop in the house, especially when materials such as rugs or carpets are left wet for too long. When our SERVPRO technicians clean up your house, we can preempt the problems, guaranteeing your family a comfortable stay.

How does cleaning stop water from damaging the structure?

Water can cause materials to deteriorate in many ways. For instance, the cellulose in wood readily absorbs water leading to structural changes such as warping or swelling. Water exposure also causes many other problems in different materials, including:

• Rotting
• Mold development
• Rusting
• Discoloration and staining

The cleaning process removes standing water from the structure and manages the humidity levels in the air. If cleaning agents are utilized, their antibacterial and antimicrobial properties help limit microbial growth. Therefore, it is possible to stop or at least minimize the intensity of the problems that develop, unlike a case where nothing is done after the water spill.

Why involve someone else to do the cleaning?

The prospect of removing pools of uncontaminated water and then cleaning the house may not seem daunting. However, several reasons can compel you to consider involving a team of professional restorers like:

• Lack of the right of cleaning tools.
• To guarantee the safe use of cleaning products.
• To expedite the process.

What you might consider a simple water removal process can turn into backbreaking work when using mops and buckets. Drying the wet materials is even more difficult because it works through evaporation, and opening windows and doors is not an optimal solution. Our SERVPRO technicians use wet vacs to remove the water then we set up powerful air movers and dehumidifiers to manage the drying process cutting down the effort and time it takes to complete the job.

Away from efficiency, a professional team also helps guarantee your safety during the cleanup process. The process of cleaning your home after a water spill can pose some risks, although they might not be apparent. For instance, a simple task such as mixing cleaning products can lead to injury if you mix ammonia and chlorine bleach due to the production of harmful chlorine gas. The spilled water might reach power outlets leading to electrocution if you step into the house without protective wear. Professionals are prepared to tackle these risks because of their training and experience dealing with similar loss sites.

What is involved in cleaning a house after a water intrusion?

If it is the first time dealing with a burst water pipe or other severe water spills, you might not have a true picture of what you are dealing with until you start performing the cleanup. Unfortunately, such an approach leads to delaying or missing some of the initial preventive steps that help keep the loss manageable. For most water spills, these actions are typical, so you should make plans on how to complete them before starting the cleanup.

• Removing the water
• Cleansing surfaces
• Drying materials
• Deodorization

Knowing the steps you need to take beforehand helps in planning, and in some cases, you can take the initiative to optimize the process. For instance, instead of waiting until you finish cleaning and drying your house, then you think of deodorizing if you smell a bad odor, you can incorporate deodorization in cleaning. Our SERVPRO technicians mix water-based deodorizers with the cleaning solutions to ensure the areas we clean have a sweet scent. We also maximize water extraction, thus simplifying the drying process since extraction is 1200 times faster than evaporation. 

SERVPRO of Glen Cove / Jericho can help you manage a water spill in your Glen Head, Jericho, or Oyster Bay home, "Like it never even happened." Call us at (516) 671-1919.