How To Clean Contaminated Floodwater

11/20/2020 (Permalink)

Category three water is the worst type of water loss that can affect a property. The water ruins anything porous it touches, and the longer it remains left untreated, the more damage that it does. Fast action is needed to enable the best outcome for the home and contents. 

Potentially Contaminants Floodwater

When groundwater is the cause of the flood damage in your commercial or residential property, there can be many types of problems present within the water. As the water travels, it picks up everything it comes in contact with and brings it along. The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Foxborough regularly perform restoration services on flood loss that contains one or more pathogenic, toxigenic, or other harmful agents. Additionally, all types of mud and debris may potentially be in the water too.

Damage To Flooring

The outcome of your flooring after a floodwater disaster is dependent on how fast the cleanup efforts began. After groundwater enters a home, it migrates into any area that offers the least resistance. Our expert technicians know from experience some of the most common places affected by floodwater are:

• Under tile
• Behind baseboards
• Through floor joists into basements or crawlspaces
• Within carpet 
• Subfloor

Thorough Extraction of Floodwater Is Critical

After a floodwater event the timer starts ticking on the level of damage. For example, if the water gets extracted quickly after the initial water loss event, there is a higher chance that the rapid response works to inhibit the level of damage to the structure. 

Because of the contaminated nature of this water, the certified technicians of SERVPRO of Foxborough will apply treatments to lessen the contagions present before beginning mitigation. When handling this type of loss, our teams wear protective clothing, including eye protection and respirators. This is because harmful pathogenic elements can enter the body through the eyes or aspiration. 

It is not unusual for the original amount of water to have receded and migrated into the structure. The professionals at SERVPRO of Foxborough understand the movement of water within a home and use their moisture detection equipment to determine the true scope of the area that needs mitigation.  

Controlled Demolition

When groundwater wicks into sheetrock, it rapidly deteriorates, and to save as much as possible of the structure, rather than remove the entire portion of the wall space, our technicians measure several inches above the waterline and cut away the destroyed part. This action serves the dual purpose of removing damaged materials and opening up the wall cavities for complete drying. 

While ceramic tile with sealed grout tends to have the best outcome from flood loss, adhesive tiles tend to delaminate rapidly and may need removal. We will inspect any removed materials for the potential for cleaning and reuse to save the property owner the cost of replacement. 

When contaminated water saturates carpet, it is almost always a loss as it cannot get returned to a sanitized state for reuse. Due to the weight of wet carpet, we will extract and sometimes dry the carpet before cutting it into strips for disposal as a biohazard. 

If your home has flooding damage from a backup, call the Disaster Remediation experts at SERVPRO of Foxborough at (508) 533-5305. We will help you make it "Like it never even happened."