If you find water in your basement, the first thing you need to do is not panic! It’s easy enough to clean up after a flooded basement if you know what to do. There are only a few steps that you need to take to clean up a flooded basement, all of which are pretty intuitive, so they should be easy enough to remember. Take our word for it—we’re no strangers to flooded basements, in fact, it’s one of our areas of specialty! So check out our 3 steps below to preventing water damage after your basement floods!
Then give us a call. We will be there as soon as we can with the tools it takes to prevent further damage. And, don’t forget about our 24/7 emergency line 1-800-456-5004. Call that at any time and we will be by your side ASAP.
Step One: Stop the Water
The first thing you need to do is stop the water and unplug any electronics. Don’t forget that water is a conductor. If your electronics come in contact with water there is a possibility they will conduct the water and make your whole basement a potential zapping hazard! Or, it will just fry your electronics.
Either way, make sure you cut the electrical supply to any water-prone areas as soon as the flooding starts. You may even need to flip a breaker or two to do so.
Then, check your sump pump to see if it’s pulling its weight. That’s your best bet with removing water from your home. If it’s not doing its job, it’s probably time to replace it.
Step Two: Move Your Stuff
As mentioned above, you have to remove your electronics from the scene as soon as you can. Then, move furniture and other valuables out of your basement, or at the very least get them off of the ground. Prioritize family heirlooms and wooden furniture.
You can’t replace your child’s kindergarten drawings, but you can replace your sofa. So make sure to move the most valuable and irreplaceable things out of harm’s way first.
Then, make sure to move furniture with wooden legs or a wooden base. Wooden furniture should come first because water can do a lot of damage to those pieces. The longer something sits in water, the more damaged it may become.
After your wooden furniture is moved, move the rest of your furniture out of harm’s way. Finally, if you can, roll up your carpet.
Step Three: Dry it Out and Call Intek
Get some fans in your basement and put them on full blast. Open any windows and let the fresh air do some of the work for you. Don’t let the water linger, because untreated water damage can turn into a moldy situation pretty quickly.
Truth be told, you may call Intek at any point during this process. We have the manpower to help you move furniture and have the equipment to dry the area much faster than your typical household fan can. The right time to call us is at any point that you realize you need a little backup with water restoration in Sioux Falls!
