Flood damage brings in a variety of health hazards. Mold contamination for instance causes a wide range of diseases - the most common of which being respiratory problems, skin allergies, pulmonary hemorrhage, chronic fatigue and a variety of other notorious illnesses to keep your body restless. These diseases can be very dangerous especially to your infants, toddlers, pets and anybody with a low immune system.



This is where the importance of flood damage post disinfection comes in. And we have listed down all the useful tips to help you disinfect your homes after a dreadful flood damage.

1. After a flood, always boil your drinking water or better yet, use bottled water instead. Dry areas of the home which have been exposed to sewage should be thoroughly disinfected using a water and household bleach. Simply mix 25% bleach to water solution to minimize surface damage.

2. Get rid of your water-damaged properties. You need to toss out damaged belongings like suitcases, mattresses, rugs, books and couches. You may also ask your local authority for proper guidelines on disposal. Dishwashers, refrigerators, computers and other electronic materials which have been badly submerged in water needs to be disposed as well. Make sure that you use your protection gloves and mask when cleaning all debris for your added safety.

3. Dehumidify damp areas. Remove the remaining flood water as soon as possible. For your convenience, you can use a portable submersible sump pump to clean up the remaining flood water. Using a low temperature dehumidifier will also be of great help. Since flood damaged homes are vulnerable to mold contamination, ensure good ventilation. Keep windows wide open for as long as possible. Use your fans and air conditions if you can. Bear in mind, however, not to dry out the house too quickly after the flood as it can cause your wood floors to buckle extending flood damage and slow down full restoration.

4. Clean affected surfaces right away. Use bleach solution to wash your cabinets, basement floors, sinks and walls. After that, rinse with clean water. You may also use a vapor steam cleaner for further disinfection.

5. Treat your water. For a successful water treatment, first you need to filter the water using a coffee filter to strain solid particles. Afterwards, let it boil for about a minute or two. Allow it to cool down for 30 minutes or else chlorine treatment will not work effectively. For the chlorine treatment, simply mix 16 drops of liquid chlorine with a gallon of water. Stir. Let it set for approximately half an hour. If it starts to smell like chlorine, the water is now safe to use. Otherwise, you need to add more drops of chlorine bleach until you can finally smell the chlorine solution.

Bear in mind that your safety is of major importance. Flood just wrecked your home. Don't allow it wreck your health too. Be very careful in every disinfection procedure that you undertake. With a cautious mindset and the right cleaning practices, there's no reason why you can't survive flood damage.