There has been a lot of torrential rain throughout the Midwest. Many people are going through major clean up right now – including Brad and I, and my brother, who lives farther up north in Wisconsin.
We have been drying up our basement and I find myself sniveling over stupid things sometimes. Most of our precious things are upstairs where they are safe and dry but not everything fit up there. I put lots of stuff in the basement because the inspector told us that the house was sound when we bought it. It still is – the problem was the sump pump getting burnt out from over work! So as I clean and sort down there, I see bits and pieces of my past that can not be saved. I suppose the argument is – maybe it’s for the best.
No matter – the point is that there are a lot of things to do to avoid getting hurt or sick. One thing I have to add at the moment is that I slipped in a wet area and broke my little toe – just dang thankful that I didn’t get hurt worst! But today is a sit down and recover day and I would like to post the article I put on eHow here to possibly help others clean up safely and quickly! Below is a photo of my brother’s area – the house with the white roof is my brother’s place and that ice blue car is his Corvette. A little bit of his garage is showing through the trees behind his house – where is Harley was when the flood rose. Even if he could have gotten it out of the garage, there was no where to push is quickly to save it from the water! Read his eHow article – Cyclecyco – about how to get a motorcycle running after being submerged.
How To Clean Up After A Flood!
Cautions!
When most of the area is effected, it’s likely you will have to work alone or with a family member or two because everyone is busy cleaning up. The following are cautions that could save your life!
* Never step into water unless you are sure it is not live with electricity!
* Wear rubber soled shoes even while walking around in damp areas.
* Wait until the water recedes if possible before starting your clean up.
* Avoid riding, driving or walking through a flooded area because you can’t be sure what is under the surface.
* Call in a professional electrician or power company representative to remove fallen lines in your yard or fix suspect circuits in your home.
* Work with the assumption that the water is contaminated and any food that’s been touched by it should be thrown out.
* Wash any clothes that have gotten wet.
* Realize that rodents, snakes, and other small creatures may be dead or trapped in your basement or other areas like your garage. Make noise to scare off the live ones and wear protective gloves to pick up any dead ones.
* Do not run any electrical appliances that might be wet or damp – unplug anything that might have been in water and let dry thoroughly before using it or even testing it. Thoroughly means days! If you aren’t sure, really deep six it!
* Don’t use any lighters or sparking devices if there is any possibility of a natural gas leak.
* Take any rugs or carpeting outside ASAP to either hose down and dry, or dispose of.
* To avoid further damage to wooden furniture – let it dry in the shade outside or in a dry room in the house because the sun’s fast drying could warp the wood.
* Once the water has receded, and the flooring is relatively dry, turn wet furniture upside down if possible.
* Once the flooring is relatively dry, set up a fan – off the ground – and let it help dry out the area. Set it up on top of a high-impact plastic crate or wire basket and drape all cords up high.
* Use a light bulb adapter to convert the overhead bulbs into electrical sockets so you can plug things in up high where it’s dry.
* Use plant hooks in the ceiling beams of your basement or high on the walls so you can drape extension cords up high out of any possible dampness or future water seepage.
Step2
Cleaning up:
* As soon as the flood waters recede start cleaning up and drying out.
* When cleaning up moldy areas, make sure the area is well ventilated and get moldy items outside as soon as you can.
* Remove any sediment. Hose down whatever you can outside.
* Wash dirty or moldy materials with non-phosphate
all-purpose cleaners.
* If you have a HEPA filtered vacuum, use it in moldy areas. Do not use a regular vacuum cleaner because it will spread the mold spores throughout the area.
* Disinfect areas and materials after cleaning as much as you can first to help the effectiveness of the disinfectant.
* Make a disinfectant using 1/2 – 1 cup household chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Put in a spray bottle to treat walls and floors.
* Use a disinfectant cleaner, such as Pine Sol, mixed about 1 part disinfectant to 3 parts water and use in a spray bottle.
* Do not use the air conditioning system because it can spread mold and dust contaminants.
* Wear a dust mask, goggles and protective clothing on legs, arms, feet and hands while cleaning up debris. Rubber gloves are best for picking up things that might be contaminated. Be sure to wash your hands and face frequently!
* Be aware that houses built in the ’70s and earlier may have lead-based paint.
Step3
Drying up:
* The quicker you can get things dried up the better! It will prevent rot and mold.
* Speeding up the drying process will save a great deal of your wood and prevent structural damage.
* Remove wet insulation and discard, but do not replace insulation or any other coverings until wood frames are dried out as much as possible.
* Move things around out of damp spots if possible and keep moving things around to insure everything gets dried out.
* Set up a couple of fans to keep the air moving and drying!
Tips & Warnings
* Since I am in the process of cleaning up our basement, I will be adding things as I find out about them myself.
* Please be careful and work safe!
* A friend of mine on eHow, named Grouch, suggests using baking soda to help control the odors.
* I have noticed that when I make the stronger solution of disinfectant and water in a spray bottle, if I spritz it in front of the fan in the direction of the air flow, it’s like spraying air freshener without all the whatevers in it! It also gets the disinfectant around the room fast!
* Most of this article is basically warnings. Do watch children – they think it’s a great time to play in water and have fun but it can be very dangerous. Under water things like planks or unseen obstacles can knock a child down and push them under. Please keep an eye on any child out there – even if they aren’t yours!
* Keep in constant contact with anyone who is disabled or older. Check in with them every few hours.
* Please be careful if you are going through flood damaged rooms, especially in older homes. The structural integrity of the walls could be weakened, so listen for any unusual creaking.
* Be prepared to get out ASAP! Not all danger is obvious or apparent!
One of my friends at eHow – The Don – suggests renting an industrial dehumidifier and that does sound like a great idea! They might be expensive to run on a regular basis but what you would save in goods and foundation stability would be well worth it!
To everyone – be safe and dry. Work with care no matter what you may be doing.
Gypsy’s philosophy:
When the Purple Porkie attacks…..
Don’t let it out of your sight, even when it pretends to be sleeping!
