What to Do When Your Basement Gets Flooded?

One of the worst things that can happen during the summer days when you are supposed to be relaxing is when a big storm hits. This huge amount of water can find its way inside of your basement and flood it which can cause a bunch of problems.

You probably think that the storm didn’t seem so bad, but you get down to your basement and what do you see? Several inches of water has flooded your basement, your favorite box of tools is floating around and a bunch of other things that you cherished. So what do you do?

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The number one thing you have to remember when it comes to problems such as these is to act as quickly as possible. But you will need to be careful. First, make sure that the electricity in your basement is turned off so you do not get electrocuted when walking on the wet ground. Then you will have to get your hands dirty.

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Get rid of the water

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Grab some thick and high rubber boots, get a few buckets and mops. If you remember where your clogged drains are located make sure you clean them up from any garbage so they can soak up as much water as they can. If you have any electronics down there, they should be your priority since the faster you save them from any further moisture damage, the bigger the chances they will work in the future.

Your next step would be to get rid of the water that has flooded your basement, so if your pump has already broken, we recommend that you buy yourself a new one and use that to pump it out. If you do not think that going to the local hardware shop is not an option at the moment, then you should try using a bunch of buckets. Doing it this way may take a bit more time, but it is still effective enough.

Once you have started making a bit of progress, you will have to start using some old towels, blankets or paper towels to start soaking up water from the ground, walls, and furniture you have down there.

The faster you work, the lesser the chance that mold or mildew will grow on your valuable items.

Remove everything from the inside of your basement

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This is probably the hardest part of the cleaning process as you will have to remove almost everything from inside of your basement. That can include your old couch, your wooden tool storage unit or other wooden furniture. You simply cannot leave anything that is still wet inside as it can speed up the process of mold growth. You can either take it outside to dry under the sun (if there is any) or you could take it to your nearest storage warehouse where they offer storage rooms with ventilation. Ventilation is important if you want your objects to dry.

If you have any insurance about this kind of situation, now it is the time to use it. Check if the insurance you got can cover the damage on your personal items.

Start drying the area

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After throwing buckets of water, mopping and wiping with towels, there isn’t anything left to do. It is then up to the circulation of the air to dry out the remaining of the damp environment. We recommend that you open up every window and door inside of your basement and then get a bunch of fans from your hardware store and leave them running for at least 24 hours. They can speed up the circulation down there which will make the drying process much quicker. According to www.GTARestoration.com, the best way to take care of a flooded basement in Toronto is by hiring professionals.

Make sure you prevent mold from growing

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The biggest problem after water damage is that mold can show up almost anywhere since everything is still damp. Every corner of your basement that is dark and wet enough, mold or mildew will start developing. This fungus is not only dangerous to the health of you and your family, but it can also cause serious damage to your home. It can cause a risk to the structural integrity of your house as it can damage the wooden pillars in your basement.

To prevent this from happening, you will need to act as quickly as possible. We recommend that you get hydrogen peroxide or bleach and then use it on the black spots that have started showing up on your walls. After doing a nice scrubbing on those spots, get yourself a dehumidifier to reduce the dampness in the room or you could also get a purifier to reduce the number of mold spores in the air. Make sure that you go down at least every six hours to check if there has been any additional development of mold. To choose the perfect dehumidifier for your needs, check out this guide from the Unclutterer in case you would want to get one.

You can’t go wrong by doing another scrub down if you are unsure about some spots on the walls.

Take steps to prevent floods in the future

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The best way to deal with floods is to simply prevent them from ever happening. After you have finally cleaned up everything and returned all the items back into your basement, you should analyze to find out what exactly went wrong during that storm.

Was the storm simply too strong that the pump couldn’t hold out on its own? Then why not get at least two pumps just to make sure that it does not happen to you again. It is much cheaper to buy an expensive one than to suffer from water damage again and deal with the costs.

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Do you have big cracks in the cement of your basement? This is probably the location where the water comes through, so you should definitely hire a professional to take care of those holes.

You can also do some changes in the area around your house to prevent the water from entering your home. You can create canals or gutters to lead it away from your house.