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Three Options For Dealing With Water-Damaged Belongings

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Whether you've lived through a flood, experienced a dishwasher malfunction, or simply had a sewer backup, the water damage your personal belongings incurred may be significant. And if you're not familiar with water damage cleanup, you may be wondering what steps you should be taking next to remediate the damage. You should base your decision on the type and extent of water damage, the amount of time it's been since the damage occurred, and the character of the damaged belongings. Here are three potential options for dealing with the damaged belongings that fell casualty to a water damage situation.

1. Discard

Sometimes the value of the item itself isn't significant enough to warrant spending time on cleaning. And sometimes, depending on the type of the item and the extent of the damage, you just don't think it'll be feasible to clean and repair it. For example, if you had a kitchen water leak that caused water damage to a big pile of unused paper plates, you may decide just to throw those plates out without using them. Or if some of your clothes were damaged in a sewer backup situation, it's at your discretion whether or not to pay the cleaning bill. If you can't afford the cleaning costs or if you personally just wouldn't feel comfortable wearing clothes that had touched sewer backup in the past, no matter how clean they are later, it's up to you to discard these belongings.

2. Clean

If, on the other hand, you decide that the water damage is minimal and the affected belongings are washable, this can be an easy fix. The method of cleaning can vary from throwing a load of laundry back into the washing machine after it's been affected by a burst pipe to sending old books off to a specialist for cleaning. Whether you complete the cleaning yourself or have it done by a professional depends on factors such as:

  • The value of the damaged object
  • The ease or difficulty of the cleaning job
  • Whether specialized techniques are required
  • Whether you have the necessary tools and materials

If you're not confident of your ability to restore your damaged belongings to their former condition, you can consult with a professional for a recommendation on whether to clean the things yourself or select the next and last option by bringing in professional remediators.

3. Hire a professional

Professional water damage remediation teams can bring a lot to your water damage situation. First of all, their relevant cleaning experience is likely a lot more advanced than yours. Secondly, they can also remediate any structural damage the event may have caused to your home. Thirdly, they can offer professional opinions on whether certain items are worth cleaning or not.

No matter which of these options you choose, remember to follow safety precautions while handling water-damaged objects, especially if the damage was caused by contaminated water.

For professional help, contact a company such as Rocky Cross Construction (North) Ltd flood damage.


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