Rutland Water Damage Cleanup Safety Tips
If your home ever suffers from water damage, you will probably be cycling through a massive list of to-do’s. As a
result, it’s easy to forget what your priorities should be. One of the things that often gets overlooked during the process, that should really be the top priority, is your health. No home or possession is more important than your wellbeing. Here are five tips for staying safe after a disaster from our water damage cleanup professionals at GW Savage, in Rutland.
Water Damage Cleanup Safety Tips For Rutland Residents
- Wear the proper protective gear.
- Keep wounds away from floodwater or mold.
- Discard any contaminated materials.
- Prepare for mold exposure.
- Call water damage cleanup professionals for help.
Wear Protective Gear
Using protective gear is a must during the water damage cleanup process. Hazards like contaminated water pose a serious threat to your health and the risk from these hazards can be mitigated by wearing protective equipment. At a minimum, you should wear gloves and respiratory protection upon entering your home after a flood if there is any concern that the water is contaminated.
Keep Wounds Away From Flood Water Or Mold
Exposure to floodwater and the mold/contamination that often goes along with it is never good for your health even in the best circumstances. Add to that open wounds or other types of heightened exposure and the threat becomes much more real. Put simply, you should never, under any circumstance, allow any wounds to be exposed to floodwater. The wound can quickly become infected and pose a major threat to your health. Since you may have a slight open wound (like a papercut) that you might not be aware of, it is a good general rule to always wear protective equipment as outlined above when dealing with floodwater.
Discard All Contaminated Materials
Always discard food, cosmetics, medicines and medical supplies, stuffed animals, toys, mattresses and pillows, upholstered couches and chairs, carpet padding, and cardboard. Also consider discarding foam rubber, large carpets, books, and paper products. If you aren’t positive about whether or not you should discard something, either ask your restoration contractor or guidance or air on the bright side of discarding it. It’s also important that you take into consideration the level of contamination in the floodwater. If the floodwater contains sewage or harsh chemicals, for instance, you will almost certainly need to discard them. Always air on the side of caution when doing this since exposure to ingestion of contaminated materials is a major safety hazard.
Prepare For Mold Exposure
A sometimes unavoidable consequence of water damage is mold growth. Mold exposure is associated with a large number of health problems like irritated skin, itchy eyes, respiratory problems, fatigue, and many others.
(See Also: Preventing Major Water Damage Restoration Costs To Your Home)
Call For Professional Help
Staying safe during the water damage cleanup process is a lot harder to do when you are on your own. Thus, your best option for keeping safe is to call for professional water damage cleanup help as soon as possible after a flood. We at GW Savage, in Rutland, are available to respond to a disaster anytime day or night so don’t waste any time before calling for help after a flood.
