Responding to Water Damage

From faulty washing machines to leaky pipes, water damage varies in origin and intensity. If left to continue, water damage can harm the stability of your home. Floors, walls and other surfaces are susceptible to harboring mold and mildew if neglected after water damage. Our professionals at Paul Davis are the experts to talk to when your home or business takes on water damage.

Getting Ready for the Experts

Before a Paul Davis technician arrives, there are a few easy steps you can do to help make the job speed up. You need to work quickly to salvage everything in your home from water damage. Before working, you need to ensure your house is safe to enter. The hazardous combination of water and electricity makes a dampened home a risky place to enter. Before entering your home, power off the main breaker. Even if they look harmless, home appliances can deliver a powerful shock when damaged by water.

First Things First

Water can leak into everything. To keep water damage from destroying small items, remove them first. Use a dry, flat surface to put books, magazines and other paper things. Newspaper and paper or inked items should be lie on a dry, flat surface. Small lamps, collectibles and any other tabletop items should also be removed. You can begin cleaning when you've moved books, small items and other wet materials. To start the drying process, try using air movers and your home's AC in your home to push air throughout the area. Dry water from wood furniture or flat surfaces. Though you may want to try, never use a regular home vacuum cleaner to remove water. This can damage the appliance and harm you if improperly used. When you're ready to move furniture, raise up seating like sofas using wooden and cement blocks to elevate them off the floor. Fabrics and carpet are typically heavy when soaked. The extra weight makes rugs, leather goods and fur difficult to lift. So if you need to remove a large fabric item, lift carefully. Hang clothing, draperies and other fabrics away from the wet area to dry thoroughly. Depending on how much water damage your home takes on, you may not be able to keep every piece of fabric you own. Your home's framework and floors aren't impervious to water weight either. Because of this, do not go near drooping ceilings or bowed floors. Areas like these have likely absorbed the most water and could fall under weight.

Why Paul Davis?

Water damage is no match for Paul Davis. But with a little prep work from you, we can begin working faster. We can return your home back to normal safely and quickly. Our technicians have worked in a range of flood conditions in a range of home and business properties. Additionally, Paul Davis works with your insurance company to settle your claims effectively, so you can return to normal.