Cleaning Your Home After a Flood

7/16/2021 (Permalink)

Imagine that you and your family have been forced to evacuate because of a flash flood in your area. You rush to the evacuation shelter, wait it out, and get the all clear to return home. Your worries are over, right?

Wrong. If your home has been affected by flood waters, there are still serious health effects that you need to be aware of as things get back to normal.

A good mantra is “when in doubt, throw it out.” If any of your food or water has come into contact with flood water, even if it’s in a container (like bottled water), you should toss it out.

Similarly, any drywall, carpets or insulation that have been contaminated with flood water should be thrown away as well. This practice is consistent with the IICRC’s Standard of Care.

Any porous belongings should also be tossed. Things like mattresses, pillows and even stuffed animals cannot be properly sanitized after coming into contact with flood water and should be thrown away.

Non-porous materials, on the other hand, may be able to be cleaned with household bleach. Make sure you dilute the bleach to the proper concentration before using it.

Remember: flood water is generally considered to be “grossly contaminated” with pathogens, on the same level as sewage. Treat it with extreme caution.