Water can severely damage a home if it permeates the residence in large quantities. Water damage may occur for various reasons, including basement leaks, flooding, and frozen pipes. This continues to be a serious problem in the United States. According to iPropertyManagement.com, 14,000 Americans face a water damage-related emergency every day, and 98% of basements will experience water damage in their lifetime.

Additionally, water can especially cause significant destruction if it is not cleaned up immediately. Fortunately, there is a professional process designed to remedy this type of issue: water damage restoration. Here is a close look at this process.

Water damage restoration services are substantially more complex than simply covering wet spots with rags and towels to dry them off. In fact, this process can be performed in four different ways: water remediation, water removal and extraction, water mitigation, and water damage cleanup. Let’s analyze each of these four types of water damage restoration in close detail.

The phrase “water remediation” refers to the process of cleaning, sanitizing, and restoring items that sustained any type of water damage. When water penetrates your home, it is important to react quickly because it can create structural damage to the foundations. Additionally, mold and bacteria can often grow and linger in damp spots. Certain materials such as wood can become warped and/or begin to rot if they are exposed to water, so it is important to clean items made of these materials immediately.

To remove water from damaged areas of a home, professionals generally utilize specialized equipment such as truck mounts, high-speed air movers, and commercial-grade dehumidifiers. These tools — which typically have multiple settings and can be positioned in several ways — can all help get rid of water in an efficient and secure way. “Water extraction” is essentially identical to water removal, although this term is often used to describe the process of removing water in an exterior environment.

Water mitigation consists of preventing or reversing water-related damages. This implies the removal of your personal possessions from the water source. This service is thus different from traditional water damage restoration because it is performed before water damage has occurred, rather than as an emergency service.

Water damage cleanup entails thorough drying and sanitization of all areas in your home affected by flood water or any other type of water. There are multiple techniques for cleaning a water-damaged surface, including spray-and-wipe cleaning, dry cleaning, and wet cleaning. Water damage restoration experts may also utilize foam or other similar materials as part of this process. They will also typically use personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and N-96 respirators to clean mold and other potentially toxic materials. Certain bacteria found in water can lead to illnesses such as Legionnaires’ disease, which is a severe form of pneumonia.

Ultimately, you should choose a water damage restoration company that is prepared to solve your water damage issues in a secure and efficient way. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 23.8% of homeowners’ insurance losses in 2018 were caused by “water damage and freezing.” This figure marked a 5.4% increase from 2017. You can avoid sustaining these types of damages by enlisting professional water damage restoration services. A water damage restoration company will also typically inspect the areas that have been affected and assess the level of damage before beginning the cleaning and restoration process. They may even use a rating system to categorize the amount of damage sustained.

Reach out to the experts at Monumental Contractors in Washington, DC, for more information on water damage restoration services and their benefits. We are a family-owned-and-operated contracting company dedicated to serving the DC Metro Area, including Maryland and Virginia. We strive to uphold our core values of integrity, quality, respect, and accountability in every project we undertake.

We have extensive experience dealing with all sources of water damage, including flooding, basement and foundation leaks, and frozen pipes. Our water damage restoration process always follows the same steps. It begins with an inspection to assess the extent of the issue. After this, we will contain all electrical sources and appliances until the damage has been repaired. Finally, we will restore any damage your home has sustained, whether this entails replacing drywall, flooring, insulation, painting, and patching.

We are licensed and insured and most of our business is built on referrals, which reveals a great deal about our client satisfaction. Call Monumental Contractors today at (703) 552-9626 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.