How to Clean Up After a Flood

Flood waters can cause devastating ruin to homes and businesses. If you live in an area that's prone to floods, you might know how much work it is to clean up after the flood waters have receded. If you've never been through a flood before, here are some things you'll need to do to clean up after a flood.

Instructions

• 1

  Use a shovel to remove as much of the mud that the waters carried into your home as possible. Chances are the mud is contaminated. Wear rubber gloves and boots. Hose off whatever mud remains after shoveling.

• 2

  Scrub walls, floors and kitchen counters, built-in shelves and all other surfaces that came into contact with flood waters with a mixture of two tablespoons of chlorinated bleach per one gallon of warm water.

• 3

  Remove all furniture, clothing, rugs, curtains and other such items and air them outside the house. Get rid of anything that is too damaged or cannot be properly disinfected and cleaned, such as rugs, carpets and some upholstered furniture.

• 4

  Open windows and run a dehumidifier or air conditioner to remove the moisture from the house. Circulate the air in the house with fans. Vacuum up any mold or mildew.

• 5

  Replace any wallboard or paneling or remove any plaster that came into contact with flood waters. Remove any dampened insulation and discard. Pull up flooring such as linoleum to allow subflooring to dry.

• 6

  Clean mud and other debris from books, photographs and important papers. Place them in plastic bags and freeze them until they can be sorted and cleaned later.