www.workersworldtoday.com
September 2021
26
Home Ownership
How to Clean Your Home After a Flood BY CONSUMER REPORTS
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f your house has flooded, once your local police or fire department says you can return, you’re in a race against mold growth to clear out debris from your home. If you have flood insurance, the very first thing to do is file a claim—you have only 60 days to send in a proof of loss form documenting the contents of your home. Though you may want to rush back to your home and start the cleanup process, take care because there can be unseen hazards. “A home or area that has been flooded should first be determined to be safe, with no structural, electrical, or other hazards,” says Enesta Jones, a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency. Strong winds and flood waters can down power lines. And rushing water can erode the ground around buried utilities, potentially causing breaks in gas mains. So be sure
to check for the smell of gas outside your home, as well as any dangling electrical wires, and call the gas or electric company, or the police or fire department if you find evidence of either. If you see any structural damage to the outside of the house, such as cracks or shifting of the foundation, or a tree on your house, bring in a building inspector or structural engineer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency advises. You’ll want to check for gas leaks and structural damage inside the home, too, says Don Huber, Consumer Reports’ director of product safety. If you smell gas once you’re inside, immediately turn off the main gas valve, open up all the windows, go outside, and call 911 and your gas company.
If you get to the point where you realize you’re in over your head, do yourself a favor and hire some professional help. You can find a pro through a number of organizations that the EPA recommends: the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the National Environmental Health Association, the American Council for Accredited Certification, and the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Then, once you’re reasonably sure that your house is structurally sound and safe to enter, here are the steps to take to clean out your home. 1. Wear Protection When your home has been flooded, there’s more than just water to worry about. Flood waters ferry all the gross stuff at the bottom of storm drains, ditches, and sewer lines. When they recede, they could very well leave mud and toxic substances behind in your home. According to the EPA, coming into contact with sewage or mold can cause allergic reactions and other problems. “You have to assume that mold is growing after a flood,” says Kellogg Schwab, Ph.D., the Abel Wolman Professor in Water and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Mold can cause respiratory distress and can exacerbate asthma.” To protect yourself, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs. To shield your hands and face—and to avoid breathing in mold spores and toxic fumes—the EPA recommends wearing an N95 respirator, goggles tight enough to keep dust and small particles out of your eyes, and long, tight-fitting gloves made of rubber or neoprene. Keep anyone with a weak or compromised immune system out of the house because mold, cleaning chemicals, and sewage in storm runoff can make them even more sick. 2. Dry Out Your Home as Quickly as Possible “Mold starts growing in damp places within 24 hours, and within two days, you can have visible colonies if it’s warm,” says Joan W. Bennett, Ph.D., a fungal geneticist and professor of plant biology and pathology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. The first step for getting rid of mold is to air out your house. •If you have power, turn on your air conditioner, a dehumidifier, and/or every fan you own. Keep your windows closed if you have a dehumidifier and an air conditioner to help the air circulate inside and get rid of excess mois-
ture. Keep your windows open if you have only fans and face the exhaust toward an open window. •If you don’t have power but you own a portable generator, use it so that you can follow the strategy above. Just remember that generators emit deadly carbon monoxide; to avert carbon monoxide poisoning, never run a generator indoors. And “make sure to place the generator at least 20 feet from your home, with the exhaust facing away from your house,” advises John Galeotafiore, associate director of product testing at Consumer Reports. If your generator isn’t connected to a transfer switch in your home, use a heavygauge extension cord (around 12-gauge), to keep the generator at a safe distance from your house. •No power at all? If weather permits, open all your windows and doors to create airflow. 3. Monitor the Moisture While you’re airing out your home, use a humidity meter, around $15 at hardware stores, to keep tabs on the moisture level. Aim for between 30 and 50 percent humidity to inhibit mold growth, the EPA advises. Floors, walls, and furniture may be dry to the touch and still harbor mold and bacterial growth. A moisture meter, $50 at hardware stores, is another good tool to have, so you can detect dampness you can’t see. 4. Remove Debris Before you get rid of contaminated debris, be sure to put on your respirator and other protective gear. Jeff Bishop, former director on the board of the IICRC, recommends using shovels or rakes to remove wet silt and debris from your home, and depositing it a safe distance away from your house. Just make sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize your clothes and shoes and clean the tools with bleach after you use them. If you have flood insurance, call your insurance company about the documentation you need to back up your claim. You may need to save pieces of carpet, flooring, and walls, and take photos of the extent of the damage. The Insurance Information Institute says some insurers may want to view your property remotely via video continued on page 27
