Water clean up and repair

Do it yourself home water clean up and water damage repair DIY.
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Stop the water!

This artical contains some real how to information! not just a bunch of text to get you to click on links. I will give you some real practical advice on how to clean up and repair water damage whether it be from a flood, plumbing leak, or roof leak. First off you need to stop the water! If it is a leak in your plumbing you will probably have to shut the water main off at the street (or pressure tank if you are on a well). If the water is coming from roof damage a tarp will normally work for a quick fix. If it’s from a flood you will need sand bags to try to divert the water away from the house. This will only work for small flooding areas. In a big flood you will just have to wait it out.

Ok, Now that the water is stopped let’s make sure the power is turned off to the room or rooms that are affected. You can usually just go to your breaker box and find the breakers that need to be turned off. If you cannot get to the breaker box without going through water you should call an emergency water damage professional.

Do it yourself home water clean up and water damage repair DIY.
Do it yourself home water clean up and water damage repair DIY.
Get the water up.

The first thing you need to do is get the water out of the house. The longer the water sits the more damage you will have to your home. If you have a lot of standing water and you are in the basement or any room that you cannot open the door and sweep the water out you can use a shop vac for smaller job or you can use a pump for bigger jobs (you can get a small pump for a garden hose that attaches to your drill at most hardware/plumbing stores for cheap). If the room has carpet you will need to use a shop vac to suck as much water out of the carpet as possible to avoid carpet water damage. If you cannot get the water up in a timely manner call a local water damage service.

Salvage what you can.

Move all furniture and appliances out of the room and dry them off the best you can. Then collect any papers and pictures that are not totally destroyed and lay them out to dry. If your cloths got wet the most important thing to remember is to get your clothes dry as quickly as possible. If you can, wash them ASAP. If not hang them up to dry. If your clothes have fire water damage you will most likely have to toss them. Or call a water restoration service.

Get the air circulating.

Ok, now we need to get the air circulating to dry the room out. If it is not raining open the windows up all the way. If it is raining you will still need to open some of the windows just make sure that rain water is not coming through the open window. Next, if you have ceiling fans turn them on high. You will also need to place floor fans, box fans, or air movers in each room. You may also need to use a dehumidifier or two. The dehumidifier has a tank that fills with water as it is extracted from the air. You will need to empty it often. If you have carpet that got soaked you will need to lift it up and get air moving under it. Otherwise the carpet pad will not dry which will lead to nasty smells and mold. Just pull the carpet loose from that tack strips and stuff some 2×4’s or something under it to create an air space between the carpet and the pad. Then stuff an air mover or fan under the edge of the carpet.

Start Cleaning.

Now, if the water was not really nasty you can just mop the floors and clean the walls with all purpose cleaner. But if it was sewer water or other “black water” you will need a sewage cleanup professional.

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Accessing and fixing Damage.

Now let’s take a look at that water damaged carpet. If it was clean water you may be able to salvage it. Depending on the type of carpet that became soaked and how long it remained wet. If it was saturated by “black water” (sewer ect.) it is definitely not salvageable and should be replaced at once.

Hardwood floors will most likely be stained. In this case they will need to be refinished. If they don’t look to bad you can just give them a good mop and call it good.

Drywall water damage repair. Check for ceiling water damage and wall waterdamage. If the drywall is just stained, you can fix it with a stain blocking primer and new paint.

For small bubbles and minor damage (3 or 4 inches) you will need to scrape them off and fill with drywall mud (20 minute hot mud works good for this). Now let the mud set up. If the hole went all the way through the drywall you will need to cover the entire hole with ether mesh tape or paper tape. If you are using mesh tape just stick it to the drywall make sure it overlaps its self and the hole by at least ½ inch. Then just cover it with all purpose drywall mud. If you are using paper tape put a thin layer of mud over the area then stick the paper tape to the mud overlapping the hole. Let dry after smoothing the paper out with your trowel. Then cover the paper tape with a coat of mud. After it’s all dry you can sand it smooth at this point or you may need to put another skim coat of mud over the patch to smooth it out better. Sand smooth then prime all patches with drywall primer. Next you will need to retexture the patches to match the existing wall. The easiest way to texture is to use the stuff in the can (you are limited to orange peel or knock down). You can find it at most hardware store.

If your drywall is bowed or has any other major damage you will need to replace the affected are. First you will need to locate the nearest stud on either side of the damage. Use a nail to poke some holes through the drywall. Keep making holes in a line horizontally across the wall until you locate the studs (you will need to cut down the middle of the studs). Cut a rectangle out of the drywall with a utility knife. Next, replace the area with new drywall. Then mud and tape the joints using the method explained above. If the damage is more sever you will need to call a fire and water damage restoration company.