7 Outdoor Flood Water Damage Cleaning Tips

Flood water damage doesn’t only affect the interior of you house but it also affects the exterior as well. Not all water damage is visible, so it’s important that you know which parts are to be checked and cleaned. Flood water contains a lot of bacteria and this can cause various types of illnesses. Some people think that flood water is harmless, but the effect of flood contaminated water has caused numerous deaths of innocent flood-prone area homeowners. Hence, it is important to make sure everything that is contaminated by flood water is clean and disinfected. Below are outdoor flood water damage tips.

1. Insurance Policy

Before you clean anything, quickly contact your insurance agent to make sure that your insurance policy covers the damage. An adjuster will normally contact you if your home is covered from flooding incidents. Take note of all the damages caused by the flood and if you can, take photos and videos of everything, including outside of your home. Everything must be recorded so that you can make a claim from your insurance provider.

2. Sense of Urgency

It is important to act quickly, after the flooding, to avoid odor outside your home.

3. Dealing with Dirt and Debris

Check outside your home to make sure all loose dirt and debris are removed. Wash all outdoor walls, floors, or other outdoor surfaces touched by flood waters. Keep the area or structure being cleaned wet for 2 to 10 minutes before rinsing and drying. Make sure you clean it well to avoid residue. Other common outdoor structures that need cleaning are outdoor furniture, patios, playground equipment and decks.

4. Collected Flood Water

Empty the collected flood water out from all outdoor furniture such as flower pots, swimming pools, and fountains. These collected flood water are breeding grounds for disease carrying insects which cause deadly illnesses to humans.

5. Disinfectant

For outdoor floors, use a chlorine bleach disinfecting solution. This solution is made of 3/4 cup of household liquid bleach and a gallon of water. Wear gloves and protective masks or clothing when you use this solution. Never touch your eyes or face while cleaning the flood affected areas of your home. When the disinfecting solution gets cloudy, it’s time to throw it and change it to a new batch.

6. Vehicles

Check if there’s flood water inside your vehicle. Do not try to start your car. Some cars which have been flooded can still be salvaged just as long as the engine was not turned on while it was still wet from the inside.   

7. Private Sewage System

Check your private sewage systems. Private sewage flooding can be hazardous to homeowners and tenants. Severe lack of sanitation will occur because flooding in the sewage system may contaminate drinking water and can lead to a back-up of the sewage inside the home. Flooding outdoors may cause a saturated soil condition which will prevent the private sewage system to work properly. Aerobic or “with oxygen” regions are essential for soil treatment systems for waste-water because it decreases the amounts of chemicals and living organisms such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa. When you have flooded soil outside your home, diseases and bacteria can seep in through the ground water and to your drinking water supply.