It doesn’t take long for water damage to happen, but as much as you might want to remediate the damage, you shouldn’t do it yourself. While it might seem like any other mess to clean up, water damage is a hazard that must be handled very carefully.
Now, we’re not talking about a drip from your faucet on your kitchen counter. You can easily wipe that away. It’s not wiping it away that can lead to water damage. But once you’ve discovered a spill that’s days old, you should call for professional help. Here are seven reasons why you shouldn’t dry out water damage on your own.
- Mold might already be growing. It only takes one to two days for mold to grow, and many leaks that become water damage occur because no one notices them. If you find a wet surface on your drywall, carpet, bedding, etc., there’s a really good chance that mold is already growing.
Mold isn’t something you want to handle on your own. While it might seem like a dirty spot to clean up, it’s a fungus that can cause health issues just from being in your home.
The closer you are to mold, the worse it is for your health, especially if there are young children, elderly individuals, or people with compromised immune systems in your home.
Mold remediation specialists have personal protective equipment to keep themselves from getting sick from mold. You can wear gloves and a mask when cleaning mold, but that doesn’t provide the same level of protection.
Contact a restoration company if you suspect or spot mold growing where there’s been water damage.
- Ensure repairs are done correctly. To completely restore your home from water damage, it needs to be completely dry, which is nearly impossible to achieve with a fan or wet vac. It takes professional, commercial-grade equipment to get the area bone dry.
Simply drying out the area with a big floor fan won’t completely dry it, making it a breeding ground for mold and other issues. Ensuring that repairs are done correctly will prevent even worse problems down the road.
- Remediate and clean up the damage. It’s easy to panic, dry out the water, and then move on. But there’s likely a source of the water leak. If you dry out the water but don’t find the source of the leak, another leak might occur, necessitating cleanup all over again.
- You don’t know what type of water damage it is. There are three types of water damage: clean, gray, and black. Clean water doesn’t pose much of a hazard to your health. An overflowed sink or a burst pipe is an example of clean water.
As you can imagine, gray and black water damage aren’t good for your home. Gray water can contain dangerous contaminants. An example would be your dishwasher leaking. There’s no guarantee that your gray water is dangerous, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. There’s no question as to whether black water is dirty. Not only is it dirty, but it’s also extremely bad for your health. While a burst pipe is clean water, a sewage backup is black water and should be handled by professionals.
- Sewage water is a biohazard. Water damage can come from numerous sources, including your kitchen sink or bathroom. Water from either of these places could be a biohazard.
A biohazard refers to anything that can cause harm to people or pets. If the water from your bathroom contains fecal remnants or urine, it’s a biohazard. Coming in contact with that water could make you sick.
Not only that, but biohazards can turn into airborne germs that spread and infect others, making containment essential.
A water restoration specialist will have the necessary personal protective gear to ensure the water is dried out, the biohazard is taken care of, and no one gets sick.
- Remediate structural problems. Unfortunately, water can cause severe damage, including to the structure of your home. Flooded basements, leaky roofs, burst pipes, and more can cause severe structural issues that compromise your home’s integrity.
You can remediate this issue by ensuring everything is properly dried out until it’s bone dry. It’s essential to pay special attention to your walls, roofing, and floors. If they’re damaged beyond repair, your best bet is to replace them. As much of a pain as that can be, having a structurally sound home will give you peace of mind. - Use the right equipment. Even if you’re a DIY expert, chances are you don’t have all the equipment the professionals use. And that equipment is essential for drying out the water damage wholly and thoroughly.
It’s true that draining the water, cleaning the area, and airing it out will help solve the problem. But that’s not enough to fully remediate the water damage and restore your home.
For example, you need dehumidifiers to help the area dry out faster and to decrease humidity levels. You need air movers so that the water evaporates more quickly. Air scrubbers will filter out and remove particles before they have time to become airborne and spread disease. An antimicrobial will stop mold and bacteria from further developing.
These seven reasons make it essential to hire professionals for water damage repair to ensure your home is completely restored.
Call Black Diamond Restoration Today.
To ensure complete water damage restoration, call Black Diamond Restoration. We have over 20 years of experience remediating and restoring homes and businesses from water, mold, sewage, fire, and biohazard damage.
Black Diamond Restoration is located in Murray, Utah, and is proud to serve Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas with 24/7 emergency service. You can trust our licensed, certified professionals to restore your home.
Call us at 801.512.4194, or visit our website to learn more about us. Let Black Diamond Restoration restore your home today!
