Flooded Basement Cleanup and Prevention Tips

Discover what to do when you’re faced with a flooded basement.

When it rains, it pours—and floods! If your home has recently had a flooded basement, you may be at a loss on how to start taking care of the mess.

Depending on the severity of the damage, it may not be as difficult as you think to clean up a small, flooded basement. Blain’s Farm & Fleet is here to help not only with your cleanup process, but also to provide tips to avoid some future flooded basement problems.

1. Contact your insurance provider

The first thing you should do is contact your insurance provider. Before you start any cleanup, they will instruct you on when an adjuster can come to your home. They will assess damage, if it is covered under your policy.

Then, take pictures or videos of the damage. You can list the cost of the damages on ruined items in your home as you clean.

2. Pump out the water

Before you begin any work on your flooded basement, you need to be extremely careful. Remove the water out before you enter the basement.

Most likely, your electrical service panel is in the basement. Wear rubber boots or rain boots, and use a small, plastic step stool or fiberglass step ladder to get to the service panel. Switch off all basement circuits.

If there is an excessive amount of standing water in your basement, start pumping it out with a wet/dry vacuum. Plug in the wet/dry vac upstairs, and keep the extension cord and vacuum cord out of the water.

Be sure you’re not pumping out more than two to three feet of water per day. Draining out water too quickly can cause a pressure imbalance and may lead to your basement walls cracking or collapsing.

3. Remove any belongings from the basement

Remove furniture, rugs, bedding, clothing, electronics, etc. from the basement. Not only are they in the way. But they also need to get outside or in front of a fan as soon as possible to dry out. This will help avoid the collection of mold, too.

You can freeze photographs, books, and important papers, and clean them up later when you have the time to do it properly. Rinse any mud off the items, and place them in plastic bags. Freezing them avoids further water damage and prevents mold from forming until you can clean them with the care they need.

Do not salvage electrical and gas appliances from a flooded basement. Remove and replace any flooded outlets, switches, fixtures, wiring, and gas-powered appliances that have suffered water damage.

4. Soak up excess water

Soak up as much excess water as you can. Use a wet/dry vac or mop to get the water off the ground. If the room is carpeted, it’s best to remove the carpet, and replace it once the floor has dried.

If it can’t be removed, it’s important that you dry the water and get the carpet cleaned within 24 hours. Use a high-power shop fan and a dehumidifier to speed up the drying process after you’ve removed the excess water.

Discourage mildew and odors by cleaning the carpet with a solution of two tablespoons of bleach to one gallon of water.

5. Remove flooring and wall paneling

You may need to remove vinyl or tile floors, so you can dry the subflooring. You should dry wood floors gradually, as to avoid any sudden cracking.

Open any windows and doors to help air out the area. Keep fans and dehumidifiers running as much as possible to help the drying process along.

You can dry carpet, but most of the time it will need to be replaced.

Paneling and drywall need your attention next. Drywall can suffer from flood damage, but you can salvage some of it. Remove any drywall below the flood level, as well as any insulation that’s wet. You can remove part of the wall-board, and use a fan to blow inside and dry out the paneling.

6. Disinfect and clean

Finally, disinfect and clean all surfaces. Scrub surfaces with hot water and a heavy-duty cleaner. Follow with a disinfectant to kill all germs. For a homemade solution, mix 1/4 cup chlorine bleach per gallon of water you will need to clean.

You need to be sure to disinfect surfaces to avoid harmful bacteria and mold growth, which can lead to health problems for your family.

Prepare for Future Floods

You may never feel like your home is the same again after a flooded basement. However, with some hard work, you can at least get things back to normal.

While you’re cleaning, you can be preparing your home for any future floods. Here are some things we suggest doing:

• Buy shelving racks to keep your stuff off the ground. Plastic shelving units won’t be affected by water.
• Place valuables in plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes so if they do get wet, they will be safe.
• Install a sump pump (pedestal or submersible) to get water out of your basement if it floods again.

For more tips and how-tos like these, check out our Home Maintenance Blog.