Any scale of flooding can be a lot to deal with. That’s true whether you’re dealing with a small, contained basement flood or something more significant. Even after the flooding has stopped, taking steps to address the damage can feel overwhelming. How do you find a flood clean up company you can count on?
For homes and businesses across the country, let’s explore how to find the right flood clean up company for your needs—as well as what this sort of company can do to assist. We’ll also take a look at what to do in case of flooding, and why professional cleanup can be crucial to returning your space to its pre-flood condition.
What Can A Flood Clean Up Company Do?
First of all, what is a flood clean up company? This type of business specializes in comprehensively cleaning up the damage caused by flooding and water damage issues. It doesn’t matter whether you’re dealing with a burst pipe, a small amount of seasonal flooding, or wide-scale flooding. Once the source of the flood has been dealt with, a flood clean up company can step in with immediate, responsive services to repair and restore your space.
For homes and businesses across the country, these services can include:
- Limiting the risk of secondary damage by helping you move items and furniture away from flooded areas
- Extracting any standing water, including contaminated water
- Drying up moisture in the air and reducing the risk of further water infiltration into subsurfaces
- Treating mold or mildew that’s been caused by water damage
- Addressing odors and air quality issues resulting from a flood event
- Repairing cracks, replacing oversaturated drywall, and addressing other small damage caused by flooding
- Implementing structural repairs to address more significant damage
A flood clean up company should always understand that time is a crucial factor in limiting the impact and risks associated with flooding. That’s why, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, you can typically look forward to swift, 24/7, and emergency services.
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What Should You Do After A Flood?
Once a flood has been stopped, what do you do next? When it comes to flooding in your home or business, we always recommend following guidelines from the EPA and other trusted agencies. With that in mind, here’s a few steps you’ll want to consider:
- Make sure it’s safe. Flooding can come with a range of hazards, even after the flooding itself has stopped. If water has reached electrical outlets, the entire house can be incredibly dangerous to enter. Contaminated water can also be a concern, as well as the possibility of pests in the water. It’s important to check with professionals to ensure it’s safe to return to your home or business. Even then, you should likely wear safety gear when re-entering an affected space.
- Take photos. Before you begin cleanup, you’ll want to take photos and video of the damage. This is an essential step that makes processing a claim with your insurance company easier. Try to take a combination of close-up pictures of specific damage as well as wider shots that capture an entire room. Video footage can be very useful here, too.
- Secure crucial items. At this point, you may also want to find and secure valuables around your home or business. These may include paperwork, including ID, financial paperwork, insurance documents, and precious belongings that are difficult or impossible to replace. While this last category may feel too big, try to limit the scope to small items that you can easily carry out and store during restoration.
- Contact your insurance company. As soon as possible, you’ll want to get in touch with your insurance company. Not only does this get the ball rolling on steps for cleanup and restoration—insurance professionals can also provide valuable support at this incredibly difficult time. You may be eligible for short-term funds that cover your daily living expenses, and your agency may also be able to help you locate a reliable, qualified flood clean up company.
- Contact a flood clean up company. Now it’s time to focus on the restoration process. First and foremost, you’ll want to find a team of professionals that has the skills and capabilities to provide thorough and impactful clean up. While you may be tempted to roll up your sleeves and tackle some of these steps by yourself, professional intervention can be crucial at this stage. Below, we’ll take a look at why you need a professional flood clean up company.
Why Professional Flood Damage Restoration Matters
When a flood hits your home or business, you want to get started right away with the clean up process. But that doesn’t mean you should handle it on your own—instead, having a flood clean up company involved can be crucial to getting the job done right.
Here are just a few reasons that you’ll want to opt for professional treatment and restoration:
- Prioritizing your safety. A flood-affected property can come with all kinds of dangers. It’s not just about contaminated water—there may be mold spores present in the air, areas of the home may be dangerous to navigate due to water damage, and so on. In this situation, it’s absolutely important to have professionals who have the right safety gear and equipment to step in.
- Limits the risk of further damage. When you’re dealing with property damage of any kind, the last thing you want is to further contribute to the problem. That’s all too easy to do when it comes to DIY restoration. You may overlook mold growth by accident, or you may not realize how damaged your subsurfaces have become. Effective flood damage restoration often requires industry-specific equipment and specialized treatment protocols. That’s what you can look forward to with a flood clean up company.
- Reduction of potential health hazards. Your health and comfort is important. Many of the smaller concerns related to flooding, such as mildew, odors, and moisture in the air, can be a hazard to your health. A flood clean up company can take powerful measures to address the particulate matter in the air and can treat other problems which may pose a risk to your well-being.
- Restore your home to its pre-loss state. A flood event of any size can be incredibly destabilizing. Getting back to normal can take time, and having professional support can make all the difference in this situation. It takes the massive and complex job of restoration off your plate and places it in the hands of people you trust. Because technicians can complete the work more quickly and effectively than DIY solutions, it may also mean you’ll be able to return to your usual life sooner than expected, too.
- A more streamlined claims process. Finally, your insurance company may require you to enlist the help of a flood clean up company—and for good reason. They want to make sure that the work is done up to standard, with reliable results, reducing the potential for further damage in the future.
How To Choose A Flood Clean Up Company
With all of that in mind, how do you get started with choosing a flood clean up company? It doesn’t have to be a daunting process. Here are a few simple steps that can help you find the right company:
- Check with your insurance company. Give yourself a head start by contacting your insurance company—in many cases, they’ll already have a flood clean up company they can recommend. If they have a track record of working with a company, this can also hasten the claims process.
- Assess their services. This may not be immediately evident, but flood damage restoration is often a complex process. It isn’t just about removing water that’s in your home—professional treatment also often involves a range of other services like mold removal, odor removal, and structural repair. You’ll want to check to see if a flood clean up company has all these services and more, so you can be sure they’re capable of delivering effective results.
- Scout for other details. Take a few minutes to scan a company’s website and see if they include other details. They may highlight industry-specific equipment, like thermal imaging cameras, wet vacuums, and air movers. They may describe specific certifications. They may also describe their process, giving you a clear picture of what to expect. All of this can help you get a better sense of whether they’re the right company for you.
- Take a look at the reviews. You’ll want to hear directly from other customers about their experience with a company—and that’s where reviews can be invaluable. Check to see if a company has reviews on Google or other platforms. Do they include reviews on their website? You’ll want to keep an eye out for the quality of repairs, timelines, overall customer service, level of communication, and any other details that can set a company apart.
- Contact them. Don’t forget: you can always get in touch with a company by phone or email. This can be incredibly helpful when you have specific questions or concerns in mind, or if you want to get a sense of how attentive they are with their customer service. This kind of direct contact can also help you decide if a company is suitable for your needs.
24/7 Emergency Services with Our Flood Clean Up Company
When it comes to flood damage restoration, there’s one name you can always rely on: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE. For years, we’ve provided comprehensive flood clean up services to homes and businesses across the country, with 24/7 emergency services that allow us to spring into action the moment you need us. We understand what an incredibly stressful process it is to deal with flooding and flood damage. Our technicians are always ready to assist.
With our flood clean up company, you can look forward to wide-ranging services to treat flood damage quickly and effectively. We take a personalized approach to every property we treat, allowing us to be that much more precise when getting results. We’ll always provide clear and upfront pricing, not to mention regular communication along the way. With our team, it’s trusted support you can always rely on.
When you need a reliable flood clean up company for your home or business, one call will solve it all. Simply get in touch with 1-800 WATER DAMAGE today.
