Ways to Protect Your Home From Water Damage | SERVPRO® of Alamo Heights

2/19/2019 (Permalink)

Water damage can be one of the most common and costliest disasters your home may experience. From a burst pipe to a malfunctioning dishwasher or storm damage, there are countless ways water damage could strike your home.

While water damage can be an especially common issue for homeowners to deal with, there are plenty of ways you can help protect your home from some trying scenarios.

<h4your-home">Protecting Your Home

Not only is water damage a hassle to deal with, but it can have a long-term impact on your home. Mold is one of the most common side effects of water damage, as mold can begin to grow and flourish within 48 hours of exposure to moisture.

When thinking about ways to protect your home, it can be helpful to break it down by areas of impact. These areas could include basements, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and ceilings.

You can help prevent water damage in the basement by helping prevent water seepage. This can be done by resealing vulnerable areas of the basement, making sure water drains away from your home and installing a backwater valve.

Your kitchen and bathrooms can experience water damage due to plumbing issues and appliance failures.

Be sure you:

• Inspect all appliances regularly, watching for issues with hoses and faucets
• Check the seal and caulking around your showers and tubs to make sure they are watertight
• Know where the main shut-off valve is in your home
• Don’t leave the house while the washer or dishwasher is running

Protecting the possessions in your home from water damage is not always possible, but there are things you can do to at least decrease the amount of destruction. Using waterproof bins to store items is always advised, as is keeping items stored on shelving off of the floor—which is especially recommended when using your basement for storage.

<h4from-water-damage">Recovering From Water Damage

If your home does experience a water damage situation, you can stand a good chance at salvaging items that can be dried out within 48 hours.

You’ll want to contact your insurance provider immediately and evaluate the extent of the water damage in your home as well as identify the type of water that is involved.

The three types of water are:

1. “Clean” water. Can be from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, etc.

2. Gray water. Slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, etc.

3. Black water. Water from sewage or serious flooding from nearby rivers, etc. This water can cause serious health problems.

Following a water damage disaster, you will need to get your home dried out, dehumidify the area, remove wet objects and disinfect remaining materials.

Pro tip: You can put wet books, photos and papers in a frost-free freezer to buy some extra time. This prevents mold and mildew from developing and causing more deterioration. Once able, you can remove them from the freezer and air-dry or fan-dry the pages.

It may seem like recovering from water damage is an overwhelming and slightly impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be. You can call on the highly trained experts at SERVPRO® of Alamo Heights, who are here to make it "Like it never even happened."