The Water Damage Cleanup Process

6/1/2020 (Permalink)

During the water damage cleanup process, our team applies an antimicrobial treatment to your home to prevent mold growth!

The first time you have water damage, you’re likely going to be caught off-guard. Most people aren’t prepared to handle these types of incidents, and it can seem overwhelming. Your first step will be to call a water cleanup company, but what does that process entail? If you call SERVPRO of Alexander, Caldwell, Burke and Catawba Counties, you can expect a quick but thorough cleanup.

Assessing the Damage

When our techs first arrive on-site, they will conduct an initial inspection. During this assessment, they will:

• Identify and stop the water source
• Determine the category and class of the water (based on the amount of contamination)
• Assess the extent of the damage and check for safety concerns

Water Removal & Extraction

After the assessment phase, our techs will begin extracting water. In addition to removing excess water, this phase helps us prepare for the drying process. The steps in this phase can vary based on the extent and severity of the damage, but in general, you can expect our crew to:

• Inspect and remove carpet (only if necessary to protect the subfloor)
• Move or block furniture to prevent rust or stains from wet carpet
• Pack out and transfer your belongings to our cleaning facility (if necessary)
• Vacuum & extract as much excess water as possible
• Cut out 2 feet (or more) from the base of affected walls to access and remove wet insulation and hidden moisture

Antimicrobial Treatment

Depending on the extent of the damage, it may be necessary to apply an antimicrobial spray to the affected areas. This treatment is necessary to prevent mold growth, which is highly probable in water-damaged areas. Additional treatments may be applied during and after the job process if the water is highly contaminated.

Drying & Dehumidification

This final phase is the longest but one of the most important parts of the restoration process. During this stage, our techs will strategically place air movers (high-powered fans) and dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process and mitigate the damage. These machines will need to run uninterrupted until the techs have determined the area is sufficiently dry, which is based on drying goals established during their initial inspection.

Cleanup and Completion

Our techs will routinely return to the property to check on moisture levels by using a moisture meter. Once the affected areas have met the target drying goals, our techs will remove the equipment and present you with final paperwork. The job is then complete!