Ideas for Protecting Your Home From Water Damage | SERVPRO® of San Gabriel

9/17/2019 (Permalink)

Water damage from a pipe bursting, a malfunctioning appliance or even storm damage is one of the most common and costliest disasters a homeowner can face.

But while water damage is common, it’s also preventable in many cases. Let’s take a look at some ways to safeguard your home:

Ways to Protect Your Home

Not only is water damage a hassle to deal with, but it can have a long-term impact on your home further down the road. Mold is one of the most common side effects of water damage, as mold can begin to grow and flourish within 48 hours of exposure to moisture.

When thinking about ways to protect your home, try to break it down by areas of impact. Those areas could include basements, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and ceilings to start out.

Basement water damage is often cause by water seepage. You can help prevent that happening by resealing areas in the basement where water could sneak in, making sure water drains away from your home and installing a backwater valve.

Your kitchen and bathrooms can experience water damage because of plumbing issues and appliance failures.

To protect your home against that, be sure you:

• Inspect all appliances regularly, watching for issues with hoses and faucets
• Check the seal and caulking around your showers and tubs to make sure they are watertight
• Know where the main shut-off valve is in your home
• Don’t leave the house while the washer or dishwasher is running

As much as you would like to protect your possessions in your home from water damage, it is not always possible, but there are ways you can at least decrease the amount of damage and loss. Using waterproof bins to store items is recommended, as is keeping items stored on shelving off of the floor—which is advisable when using your basement for storage.

What to Do if Water Damage Happens

In the unfortunate event your home does experience a water damage situation, you can stand a good chance of salvaging items that can be dried out within 48 hours.

Contact your insurance company immediately, evaluate the extent of the water damage to your home and identify the type of water that is involved.

Here are the types of water involved in a water damage situation:

1. “Clean” water. This could be from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, etc.

2. “Gray” water. This is slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, etc.

3. “Black” water. This is water from sewage or serious flooding from nearby rivers, etc. This water can cause serious health problems.

Following a water damage disaster, you should remove wet objects, dehumidify and dry your home out quickly, and be sure to disinfect remaining materials.

Pro tip: By freezing your wet books, photos and papers in a frost-free freezer, you will allow yourself some extra time to take care of them. This prevents mold and mildew from developing and causing more deterioration. Once able, you can remove them from the freezer and air-dry or fan-dry the pages.