What to do Should You Experience Water Damage

5/29/2019 (Permalink)

Many years ago Linda Cobb appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.  She spent 15 years as the owner of a disaster restoration company in Michigan and she is the author of a great book entitled “Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean”.  As the books back cover says it’s “a marvelous collection of miraculous cleaning tips and surprising shortcuts that get the job done quickly and well”.  It addresses everything from how to get various types of stains out of laundry to cleaning your outdoor deck and everything in between.  It has come in handy many times in our own home. And the advice she gives in Chapter 30 entitled “The Big Drip-Water Damage Restoration” is spot on.

“What a shock!  When you left the house everything was fine.

You come home and unlock the door; you walk in and hear the sound of running water.  As you step in, water comes up to your ankles.  Now you find water running across the carpet and floors and lapping at the legs of furniture as the sofa and chairs try to soak it up.  Here’s what you need to do immediately.

Turn It Off

First, know where your water shut-off is and use it.  Turn off the water and look for the source of the leak.  BE SURE THE ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE IS OFF BEFORE YOU WALK IN STANDING WATER.  The leak could be a toilet, the washing machine hoses, or a broken pipe.

How quickly you react will have impact on what can be saved in your home.

Call the Professionals”

And of course that’s where we come in.  Our professionals at SERVPRO of Appleton are just the people to call in such an emergency.  We help people in situations like this everyday.