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When your home gets flooded you are faced with the difficult tasks of doing restoration and cleaning. You can have a professional restoration company come in and do all the dirty work or you can do the restoration and cleaning yourself. You just have to make sure that you do it right and that you follow safety measures when doing the work. Here are some tips you must follow to ensure that you and your family are safe during the whole process of restoration and cleaning.

First, do not clean your home without ample protective gear. There may be broken glass, debris and other harmful materials in the flood water. You will need to wear rubber gloves, rubber boots, goggles and a face mask. If the flooding has reached your ceiling and your ceiling is soaked with water and may have a tendency to collapse then you must also make sure you have a hard hat. You should also wear old work clothes when cleaning your flooded home so that you don’t end up damaging your presentable clothes.

Turn off the main electrical switch in your home to prevent electrocution. Open all windows and doors to get the sunlight in your home to provide light while you are doing the restoration and cleaning. Keeping the doors and windows open will also let air circulate inside the home lowering the humidity in the air and helping in the drying process of the home.

Check your home for structural damages before even beginning with the clean up. You do not want your home to cave in while you are inside doing restoration and cleaning. You should also document structural damages for insurance claims. You should also turn off all gasoline and other tanks in your home before you proceed with the restoration and cleaning. If you smell gas inside the home or if the structure does not seem stable, do not proceed with the restoration and clean-up and instead call the professionals.

Do not use gasoline-powered sump pumps inside the home to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. You should set up the sump pump so that the equipment is outside and only the hose sucking out the water is inside the home.

Have a first-aid kit ready in case a minor accident occurs while you are cleaning your flooded home. It’s common to get cuts and scratches when doing restoration and clean-up.

Discard all the items that have been soaked in sewage water especially household items that really hold water in such as mattresses, pillows, comforters and other items that are difficult to clean and dry. You should also dispose food items that have been exposed to flood water even if they are still in closed packages. You do not want to compromise your family’s health by trying to save a few dollars on cereals, bread and other food items.

After cleaning the house, make sure to take off all the work clothes and wash them separately from other laundry. You should also wash your hands with anti-microbial soap and keep your hands away from your mouth, nose and eyes.