Was there recently an incident that caused your basement to flood with water? This could be from something as simple as a pipe burst, or even rainwater that came through a window well. Here is what you'll need to do if you end up with water in your basement.

Remember To Stay Safe

As much as you want to rush to the basement to get to work, it's important to think about your personal safety when entering a basement that has flooded with water. Make sure that you assess the situation and see if water is reaching the electrical outlets. If so, you'll want to make sure that the power has been cut to the electrical outlets so that you do not get electrocuted. Even if the outlets are not below the water level, it's possible that appliances are plugged in and sitting in the water. 

Remove The Water Quickly

Water is going to cause more damage as it sits in your basement. This is because the water can saturate into building materials and cause mold growth. Your goal should be to remove the water as quickly as possible. 

The best way to remove a lot of water is with a sump pump. These can be rented or purchased from your local improvement store if you do not have one, and they will do an excellent job of removing water on the floor. Simply connect a hose to the pump, bring that hose outside so that it is far away from your home, and then place the sump pump on the floor. You'll gradually want to move the pump towards the lowest part of the basement as the water level drops. 

If you do not have a ton of water in your basement, know that you can also do a good job of removing the water with a wet vacuum. It will be a bit more work to manually empty the container when it is filled with water, but it can get the job done quickly if you have one on hand. 

Dry Out The Space

The next step will be to dry out the space, which can best be done by getting the airflow moving. You can do this by using fans to suck the air out through a basement window, which will create a nice breeze that will remove moisture. You can also use a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air. 

Reach out to a flood cleaning contractor to learn more.