Every homeowner has dealt with an accident in their home involving water at some point in time. One of the most common household water accidents that can happen (especially if you have kids!) is a bathtub overflow. You plug the tub, turn on the water, get distracted, and before you know it, there’s water flooding your bathroom. It happens to the best of us and fortunately, most bathroom floods are easy enough to clean up, although, in worst-case scenarios, professional water damage cleanup could be necessary.
Step to Cleaning Up A Flooded Bathroom
- Turn off the Water- This step seems like common sense, but in a state of panic it is easy to forget to do the simple things like turn off the water source. If your bathtub overflows, you should just be able to turn off the handle, but you might also need to find the water shut off valve to your home which is usually located by the water meter or in the basement.
- Turn off the Power- If you have a lot of standing water (more than an inch or two) you should turn off the power to the bathroom using the circuit box to ensure that no standing water can become electrified.
- Clean Up Standing Water- The first part of water damage cleanup is to remove the water. You’ll need to soak water up using towels, or suck the water out using a wet/dry shop vacuum or carpet cleaner.
- Dry it Out- Mold prevention is going to be very important after a flooded bathroom since this area is already a humid, moist place. Once the water is removed, you’ll need to use fans and possibly a dehumidifier to remove all moisture from the bathroom. Fans and open windows will help also if the weather permits.
Special concerns you might need to address for water damage cleanup in a flooded bathroom include dealing with raw sewage or human waste. This type of cleanup needs to be more detailed. And other safety measures need to be taken when cleaning up hazards like sewage.
If you need to call in the professionals, give ServiceMaster of Pittsburgh a call at 412-826-1010.