Why There's No Such Thing As "Surface Clean" With Water Damage
Water damage may appear to have many levels, but the truth of the matter is, when you see the stains produced by seeping water or leaking water, the damage goes much deeper. To clean and restore your home from water damage, you cannot expect to just clean the surface. In fact, there is no such thing as "surface clean" when it comes to water damage restoration. Here are several more reasons why.
Stains in the Paint Go Through the Plaster, Drywall and Insulation
Usually the stains that surface on the painted walls and ceiling of your home are the result of the mixture of moisture and chemicals that have seeped through fiberglass insulation, drywall and insulation. For the moisture to finally get through the paint layer, it had to first deteriorate (rot) the rest of the materials. Cleaning the wall or ceiling where these stains are does not fix the problem behind the wall or above the ceiling. The places where water is getting in and befouling the building materials has not been addressed, and as such, the staining will return.
The Presence of Mold and Mildew Cannot Be Washed Away
Mold and mildew are living organisms. Most people either do not know this, or fail to understand it. In order to completely remove them and their effects from your home, you have to kill them. However, the clean-up process has to be handled delicately because upset dry spores will just relocate, and wet spores may adapt. While bleach can help, you need a professional water damage restoration expert to apply the bleach so that the mold and mildew is effectively killed without spreading it.
The Presence of Organic Materials Creates Other Problems
When you experience a flood, and the type of restoration services you need are flood restoration services, you have even bigger cleaning problems. This introduces a host of flora and fauna, organic materials that can quickly decompose and/or feed on any organic materials in your home (e.g., cotton, wool, wood, etc.). As these organisms feed, breed and die, they create their own health risks for clean-up crews and destroy more of your home.
Now it is less about what you can clean and more about what you can salvage. Talk to a water damage expert about these issues if you have recently experienced a flood. He or she will help you assess the extent of the damage to your home to determine if there is any part of your house that you can save. For more information, visit websites like http://bosscarpetcleaning.com.