Hurricane Preparedness

Flood Issues Which Can Effect Your Home And Its Contents

The House and Household effects

Dry it Out: The point is to get the inside of your home and its contents dry as quickly as possible. It would  be great if you could just open the windows and let in the fresh air, but the weather probably wont permit that. Use whatever you can-fans, heat, humidifiers-to get air moving, and the house dry.

Musty Smell: Scrub all surfaces that came into contact with flood waters. Then wash with a household disinfectant such as Lysol. You can make your own disinfectant by mixing two tablespoons of sodium hypochlorite laundry bleach (such as Clorox) with a gallon of water. Keep scrubbing until the odor is gone.

Flooded Cellars: Drain or pump out and hose down with clean water, then wash the area down with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water. Other disinfectants can be used but be sure to follow the directions on the container. It is important to use a solution which will kill bacteria left behind from the flood waters.

Toys: Many toys can be washed with soapy water and disinfected with a solution of clean water and household bleach. Discard stuffed toys which have been damaged by flooding.

Curtains, Clothing, and Bedding: Wash these items with hot soapy water. Bleach them whenever possible and then dry and iron them. If you don't have access to hot water, air drying and ironing will provide some disinfection. Discard water soaked mattresses. 

Rugs and Furniture: Discard water soaked furniture and rugs. When not badly damaged by flooding, rugs and furniture can be flushed with clean water, shampooed, and air dried. Where bleach doesn't harm the furniture or rugs, disinfect with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water.

Mildewed Furniture: Remove loose mold by sweeping the furniture. It is better to this outside so the spores, from which the mildew grows, doesn't settle back in the house. When you empty the vacuum cleaner bag, do it outdoors to keep these spores out of your home.

If mildew remains and the fabric is washable, wash it with thick soap or detergent suds and wipe with a damp cloth. Do not wet the padding. If mold still remains, wipe with a cloth dipped in diluted alcohol (one cup of denatured alcohol to one cup of water) or chlorine bleach solution (one-quarter teaspoon bleach to one cup of water). To get rid of any remaining mildew, use a low pressure fungicide spray. If molds have grown inside the furniture, send the pieces to a dry cleaner to be fumigated.