Can Water Damaged Items Be Salvaged?
If your house has been flooded, or if you sustain a serious leak, you may wonder if any of your water damaged items can be salvaged. Furniture, clothing, electronics, and keepsakes can all be destroyed by certain types of water damage.
But how do you know which of your materials are salvageable? And how do you restore them?
Recent Advancements in Water Damage Restoration
In the words of Dennis Chinea of NJ Water and Mold, “The tools and technologies of this industry have massively improved in the last decade. An item that would have been thrown away 10 years ago might be saved now, thanks to much more refined techniques.”
For example, restoration professionals now have access to a wide variety of different antimicrobials, disinfectants, deodorizers, and mold stain removers. They frequently use things like commercial smoke removers, fungicides, blasting and sanding tools, as well as preventative coatings and sealers.
On top of that, water abatement professionals typically use highly advanced sensors and detection equipment to identify and evaluate moisture, even when it’s hiding behind walls or under floorboards.
In other words, it’s more likely than ever that your water damaged items can be saved.
But it’s still not a guarantee.
The Role of Water
The salvageability of your items depends heavily on the type of water responsible for the damage. Clean fresh water is arguably the best type of water to deal with, since it’s uncontaminated and relatively neutral. Saltwater is more difficult to deal with, as it can cause more complicated forms of damage. Water that’s been chemically contaminated and water contaminated with sewage are much worse, and items damaged by these types of water may be difficult or impossible to restore.
The Importance of Fast Action
No matter what type of water you’re dealing with, it’s important to act as quickly as possible. The longer your water damaged items remain moist, the more damage they’re going to sustain. In some cases, this can lead to deterioration of structural integrity. In nearly all cases, prolonged moisture can lead to the development of mold and mildew.
How to Save Your Water Damaged Items
What steps can you take to save your water damaged items?
- Contact a professional. For most people, the only reasonable course of action is to contact a water damage restoration professional. These professional crews have access to much more sophisticated tools and technologies they can use to detect moisture, mitigate damage, and restore your items. This is especially important if a portion of your home has been flooded, as these professionals can also mitigate the damage to your home and help you prevent flooding in the future.
- Remove. The first thing you’ll need to do to salvage a water damaged item is remove it from the flooded area. This will give you more room to work with and allow each item to dry.
- Prioritize. It’s a good idea to prioritize the items you want to salvage. Items that are expensive or sentimentally valuable should be at the top of your list, as well as big, bulky items that are going to require more time to dry.
- Move carefully. If you’re doing the work yourself, move your items very carefully. Water has a degrading effect on most materials, eventually weakening their structural integrity. If you move your items too quickly or too recklessly, they could disintegrate or suffer damage.
- Air dry. In most cases, the best solution is to air dry your valuables; this is something you can do outside if the weather is suitable. If you can’t dry your valuables outdoors, make sure you open your windows to promote better air flow and consider using fans to promote airflow even further. Circulating air is very powerful for removing moisture.
- Dehumidify. If you’re drying your items indoors, you can also use dehumidifiers to pull moisture out of the air. The bigger and more powerful the dehumidifier is, the better the job it’s going to do. Keep it running continuously for best results.
- Clean. In many cases, it also pays to clean the items that have been water damaged. Use a cloth or a soft brush to gently remove dirt and debris from your damaged item; avoid scrubbing or rubbing too vigorously, as this may damage the item in question.
Obviously, different types of items are going to require different types of care. Drying and restoring a conventional sofa is much different than drying and restoring old photographs. Certain items are going to require special attention if they’re going to be salvaged.
The bottom line here is that most items that are water damaged can be repaired and restored, as long as you act quickly enough and work with professionals. However, there are some situations that can damage items far beyond salvageability.
