What are Flood Restoration and Cleanup Requirements?

When a home or business suffers from flooding, water damage or mold because of an unexpected disaster, it’s extremely stressful for homeowners. You may fear that the damage is extensive, and you have to deal with the headache of an insurance claim. With proper water removal and mold remediation services, your property is restored back to its pre-flood condition, often better than ever! To do this, restoration companies follow industry standards and requirements for a successful and safe remediation process. Here are a few of the flood restoration and cleaning requirements in the industry:

Prioritizing Restoration and Cleanup Safety

As with any major job, safety is the first priority. To avoid injuries and other negative effects, restoration professionals wear protective gear such as gloves, eye protection and sometimes a respirator when cleaning up after a flood. A few other safety protocols include:

• Wearing protective clothing when cleaning a flooded property. This includes long sleeves and closed-toe shoes at minimum.
• Using a containment system if necessary to prevent breathing in and/or spreading mold spores or other harmful substances that cause respiratory issues.
• Cleaning up the area from outside of the property before entering it so nothing is brought into the property or tracked inside. This is especially important if there is standing water. 

Use the Proper Restoration Equipment

Following the proper process includes using the right equipment to get the job done. Restoration companies use equipment to remove water, dry the affected areas and filter the air. There is special equipment for each step. The most common equipment used for these purposes are:

• Vacuums and removers specifically designed for wet surfaces
• Fans and dehumidifiers to dry out rooms
• Air scrubbers that cleanse air of particles by using HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and fans

Drying the Flooded Property

One of the most crucial requirements of any flood or water damage situation is removing the water as soon as possible. Removing the water from the property quickly lessens the severity of damages, including possible mold damage. 

Once the restoration professionals are on the damaged property, they begin the water removal process using those vacuums mentioned above. They may also use pumps and fans during this process. Dry logs may also be used during this drying process. The dry logs help the cleanup crew keep track of how quickly the affected areas are drying. To continue with the entire restoration process, the area MUST be dried! 

De-contamination, Sanitization and Disinfection

De-contamination, sanitization and disinfection are all important parts of the cleaning process, and are required to finish the restoration process thoroughly. Depending on the type of damages and class of water damage, different types of cleaning materials are used. For example: deodorizers are used to eliminate foul odors rather than kill bacteria or remove dirt from surfaces. On the other hand, sanitizing is used to remove germs and other contaminants while disinfecting kills more dangerous microorganisms like viruses and fungi. These steps are important in every flood damage restoration process because the flood waters often contain hazardous chemicals. The affected areas need to be either decontaminated, sanitized and/or disinfected for safety! 

Mold Remediation and Removal

In severe flood damage cases, the property is affected by mold as well. If mold is found, then the restoration team completes some form of mold remediation. This process removes dangerous mold from a home or building. Mold is dangerous, so it’s required to be remediated if found during a flood cleanup. Restoration companies often have an entirely different process when mold is found on the damaged property. 

Water damage restoration and cleaning is a difficult process, but it’s important to know that there are professionals who help with the cleanup. These professionals are also required to follow many standards and requirements to provide services. Rocky Top Restoration is one of those companies to trust to follow these requirements during flood or water damage cleanup! When you need flood restoration and/or water damage remediation, call our team!