Handling Water Cleanup in Oak Ridge Properties After a Storm

3/27/2023 (Permalink)

Storm frequently cause water to enter homes. Our SERVPRO team stands ready to restore your home.

Let SERVPRO Handle Oak Ridge Water Restoration Variations

One of the effects a storm incident might have is leaving your Oak Ridge property inundated with water, heavily soiled, or contaminated. Resolving such an outcome requires detailed water cleanup to save items and restore sanitary conditions in all structural areas.

The steps necessary to complete water restoration in your Oak Ridge property vary depending on the physical characteristics of the affected materials or the level of water intrusion. Professional restoration companies like SERVPRO play a crucial role in highlighting the challenges and taking appropriate remedial action. 

Typical cleaning variations depend on whether the problem impacts:

• Hard surfaces
• Porous materials
• Cavity areas

Hard surfaces in a house include tiled floors, stone countertops, sinks, bathtubs, and appliance covers. Since such materials are semi or non-porous, the impact of water exposure might be minimal. However, they still require cleaning to remove soils and contaminants. Adding disinfectants to cleaning solutions is one effective way to deal with soiling. Our SERVPRO crews use EPA-registered broad-spectrum disinfectants, restoring sanitary conditions on all surfaces. Alternatively, we spray them directly over surfaces after cleaning for better exposure and penetration.

Handling Contamination and Disintegration in Porous Materials 

Cleanup is more challenging when the floodwater spreads over porous materials like carpets, pads, rugs, or upholstery. The porous materials absorb and hold the moisture and contaminants. Moisture can cause physical disintegration, chemical reactions, or microbial development. That is why carpets delaminate when glues weaken and wood rots or warps. The most crucial cleanup step for porous materials is expediting extraction and drying. Our SERVPRO crews use vacuum extractors for faster water removal. We also improve airflow and humidity control indoors to sustain drying.

In cases where porous materials come into contact with dissolved soils and contaminants, flushing the debris and neutralizing the contamination is essential during cleanup. Fabrics like clothes, curtains, and bedding are easier to clean and sanitize using detergents, shampoos, and disinfectants. Other materials, such as carpets and pads, may be challenging to decontaminate, so our crews teardown the affected areas to remove the materials or reach concealed areas. 

Other useful cleanup resources

• Agitation equipment, such as rotating brushes
• Cavity drying equipment
• Deep extractors such as water claws

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties has the resources to clean and sanitize your home. Call us at (865) 986-3015. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.