It’s probably safe to say that having to occasionally deal with some type of water damage is unavoidable.
After all, regardless of whether you live in a house or an apartment, at some point, something will inevitably go wrong.
Plumbing, appliance, and roof leaks are the most common causes of water damage, but there are also less predictable events such as floods.
Unfortunately, most people are unprepared for dealing with such scenarios, so when they find themselves in a water emergency, they don’t know what to do and often fail to act in a timely manner. This can incur a bunch of additional expenses that could have been easily avoided.
That’s why today we want to talk about water damage restoration: what it is, what it looks like, and why it’s so important, as well as why you should call the experts immediately in the case of any water event, no matter how minor!
What Is Water Damage Restoration?
Water damage restoration is the process of returning the water-damaged property to its original condition or at least as close to it as possible.
What Does The Water Damage Restoration Process Look Like?
Every water emergency is different, which is why the water damage restoration process can vary a lot depending on what exactly has happened and how it affected the property in question.
However, typically, it looks something like this:
- Water damage restoration experts evaluate the situation and classify it as belonging to one of the three categories of water damage: sanitary water, contaminated water, and grossly contaminated water. This classification determines how they are going to approach it.
- Water damage restoration experts remove standing water. If there’s standing water on the property, it’s likely to be either contaminated or grossly contaminated and therefore pose a health risk. That’s why water damage restoration experts wear protective gear and use specialized equipment to safely remove it.
- Water damage restoration experts dry the affected areas using specialized equipment such as humidity meters, dehumidifiers, and industrial-grade air movers.
- Water damage restoration experts sanitize the affected areas using specialized anti-microbial chemicals. This is extremely important because it prevents mold growth.
- Water damage restoration experts start repairing the property. This can range from minor plumbing repairs to extensive reconstruction in the case of structural damage.
Time is of the essence when it comes to water damage – the longer you wait to call the experts, the worse the damage is going to get, and the more expensive the restoration process is going to be, not to mention the prolonged exposure to potential health hazards that can affect you and your family!
Why is Water Damage Restoration So Important?
Here are the three reasons why water damage restoration is so important:
#1: Preventing Structural Damage To Your Property
The worst type of water damage is structural damage that compromises the structural integrity of the property in question. Once the floor, the walls, and the ceilings of a building are compromised, it becomes unsafe to reside in due to the risk of collapse.
Typically, this doesn’t happen overnight. It tends to be a consequence of prolonged water exposure. That’s why the sooner you call the water damage restoration experts, the lower the risk of structural damage to your property is going to be!
#2: Salvaging Everything That Can Be Salvaged
Small belongings like books and electronics are the most vulnerable to water damage but they are also the easiest to salvage because you can simply remove them from the affected areas yourself in most cases.
Meanwhile, things like rugs, furniture and doors are more water-resistant but they are also harder to salvage because they are not as easy to remove. Prolonged exposure to water can end up damaging them beyond repair.
Starting the water damage restoration process immediately can save you money by mitigating the extent of water damage to your belongings and therefore reducing the need for replacing stuff!
#3: Protecting You And Your Family From Health Hazards
Water events, even seemingly minor ones, can present serious health risks.
The most common issue is mold growth caused by increased humidity.
Mold is associated with all kinds of health problems and can negatively impact your quality of life, especially if you are particularly sensitive to it. What’s worse is that it’s not always visible, which can make it difficult to identify it as the cause of the “mysterious” health issues that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
There’s also the very real danger of water-borne infections inherent in dealing with contaminated (category 2) and grossly contaminated (category 3) water.
The common misconception that water that is clear and doesn’t have an odor is safe to handle is especially concerning because it can still carry a bunch of dangerous pathogens despite looking clean.
In fact, sometimes people catch water-borne infections while dealing with minor water events like plumbing leaks, especially ones involving the septic system or the sewage system.
For example, if your toilet is leaking water, that water might seem clean while being contaminated or even grossly contaminated. Not using protective gear while handling it and failing to properly sanitize the affected area can expose you to serious health risks without you even realizing it.
Ultimately, it’s important to understand that unless it’s something extremely obvious like raw sewage, it’s not possible to evaluate how contaminated the water is by simply looking at it. You need to know its exact source to assign it a water damage category and determine what to do next.
That’s why it’s best to leave water damage restoration to the experts, even if you are dealing with something seemingly minor. Don’t put your health and your family’s health at risk by handling potentially contaminated or worse, grossly contaminated water!
Our Water Damage Restoration Experts Can Help You Restore Your Property!
We started out nearly 20 years ago as a regional disaster response unit.
Since then, Greenlight Restoration Solutions has grown into a full-service remodeling, remediation and restoration company.
Water damage restoration is one of our areas of expertise. Whether you are dealing with a minor water event or a full-blown water emergency, we can help you get the situation under control and restore your property!
