The Three Ds of Flood Cleaning

8/4/2021 (Permalink)

Carpet damaged by storm waters in Saratoga, CA.

What Are The Cleaning Requirements After a Flood?

You hear that flood water is contaminated, full of pathogens that are harmful to your family. How do you know what you must throw away and what you can sanitize? Look to the three D's of flood cleaning: dispose, disinfect and dry. Here is a brief guide for each.

Dispose

Follow local guidelines in Saratoga, CA for waste disposal. If garbage service is not yet running, you can bury contaminated food about four feet deep to keep the odor away. You should dispose of the following items:

• Throw away any food, even canned or sealed, that has been in contact with flood water.
• Throw away food from your fridge if power has been off for more than 2 hours.
• Don't use any garden produce that remains after a flood.
• Discard dishes with cracks, as well as any plastic or wooden kitchen items.
• Submerged drywall may need to be replaced.
• Dispose of carpet padding.
  
  

Disinfect

Cleaning requirements to properly disinfect your personal items vary depending on what materials are being cleaned. For most disinfecting, use one cup of bleach to one gallon of water to make items from the flood clean again.

• Use bleach mixture to spray structural materials and personal items that were contaminated, rinse with clean water and dry.
• Disinfect kitchenware and appliances by using hot soapy water, scrubbing to remove solids, then rinsing with disinfected water. Make sure appliances are unplugged and taken apart.

Dry

A flood disinfectant effort isn't complete without proper drying. Professional flood remediators have powerful equipment to help accelerate the drying process and ensure that it is thorough. You should start the drying process right away to help prevent permanent damage or the development of mold.

• If power is back on, turn on fans and air conditioner to assist with drying until help arrives.
• Hang rugs and remove cushions to put them in a better area for drying.
• Remove carpet and dry outside after cleaning.

Trained restoration professionals can recognize what can be saved and what must be disposed of. They are trained in the proper cleaning requirements for each kind of material.