HOUSTON – It’s not easy to rip the house you love to pieces, but after a major flood such as Harvey, you have to get rid of everything that’s wet, so it doesn’t destroy more of your house.
“The water came under the door at about midnight Monday night and by Tuesday morning we were at 3 feet,” Tony Lanson, of Kingwood, said.
Tony and Dawnett Lanson are in the middle of having their Kingwood home torn out for restoration right now and they have learned an important lesson about the critical items that have to go.
1. Experts in home restoration say all the wet wood floors and carpeting have to be removed.
2. All of the drywall needs to be cut out up to 2 feet above the waterline. Use a moisture meter and feel the insulation inside the wall to make sure you get out everything that’s wet. Don’t remove wall insulation that is not wet. You’ll only make the job bigger.
3. All kitchen cabinets at the floor level need to be torn out. They are wet and the drywall behind them will be wet and it all has to go.
4. Many people ignore the fireplace, but if it was wet, water restoration cleanup experts say it should be completely removed because it can corrode and become dangerous. It also can hide drywall that needs to come out.
As for using bleach and water to kill mold on porous surfaces like drywall and wood, some remediation specialists say it doesn't work, that the mold you remove will grow back, and the bleach will corrode anything metal like nails, tacks, and pipe that comes in contact. Some recommend using an anti-microbial product instead. Some of those products include Microban and Shockwave. However, FEMA itself recommends home owners use a combination of bleach and water to remove mold.
One final tip: If you are tearing up your home, make sure you wear a respirator to protect your lungs from dangerous toxins and molds.
