A flood is devastating to any homeowner or business person who has had to deal with disaster.
Properties, businesses, and homes endure both natural and unnatural causes of flooding each year. The power of water cannot be ignored. It leaves a property, in many cases, utterly ruined.
For property that survives a flood with the quick response of owners and professional damage cleaning companies, there are still health concerns associated with flooded property. Let’s take a closer look at this topic and learn more about how you will benefit from sanitizing your home after a flood.
Why You Need Sanitizing After a Flood
Many people think of the significant problems that occur once their home is flooded by high water or even a plumbing issue. While most consider removing the water from their home and saving furniture, carpet, heirlooms, and other objects, they may not fully understand the health risks of living or working in a building that has taken on a flood. Below are a few examples of health issues related to flooding.
- Diseases: Diseases are common after floods. Worldwide flooding is cause for the spread of diseases such as dengue fever, typhoid fever, cholera, hepatitis A, and malaria.
- Mold Growth: Mold is one of the oldest and most prominent life forms on earth. It grows anywhere moisture is present in dark areas. It is also one of the worst health risks to humans and animals in closed environments.
- Insect Infestation: With floodwaters come tiny insects like ants, roaches, termites, and other small creatures holding on to anything for life. Upon entering your home with floodwaters, they will take up residence within your property.
- Human Waste: When floods occur in an area, they also affect the sewer and runoffs in the communities where you live and do. It is not uncommon for wastewater to mix with floodwaters and cause high bacteria levels to be present. Since bacteria thrive when moisture is present, a flooded home is prime for infections.
How to Sanitize After a Flood
The first step in sanitizing your property after a flood is to remove any water and leftover moisture within the property. This is a challenging task for most homeowners, as water has a way of entering areas that are not noticeable and not easily accessed.
To remove water and properly sanitize, it is recommended to hire a professional company to remove the excess water and moisture from your home. Professionals will use special equipment to find all points of moisture within floors, objects, walls, and basements and remove the problem before it becomes a health issue.
Once they have access to these moisture points in your home, a solution of a bleach and water mix can be used to sanitize all furniture, walls, and baseboards. Carpets and furniture fabric will either need removal or steam cleaning to kill off any germs or disease. Removing any insects that have found refuge in your home can also be exterminated at this point. Professional services will accomplish all of this for you without the hassle of doing it yourself.