Cleaning Flood Damage in Phoenix

9/28/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO checks for swelling, water spotting, color bleeding, and mildew when restoring upholstered furniture after flood water damages your home.

Four Major Issues of Water Damaged Furniture After a Flood

When water comes flooding into Phoenix, most homeowners do not know where to begin. Even worse, is looking at what is left of their home after the water recedes and having no idea what is salvageable or how to do it.

Phoenix flood damage is unusual compared to other parts of the country. Once the rain stops, the water usually flows back out of a house and down into the storm drains in less than a day. The lack of standing water provides a false reassurance to homeowners, but SERVPRO has the experience to know that the clean-up is only starting.

Upholstered furniture is one of the hardest items to dry and clean after a flood. It has a mix of frame and fabrics which have their problems to watch out for when starting. There are four in particular that we pay attention to as they make up the majority of the issues.

Swelling – The frame on most upholstered furniture is wood, so we examine it for swelling which weakens the joints. Water also breaks down glues, causing even more damage. To combat this, we isolate the damaged furniture in one room (at the home if possible) and use space heaters set on low to dry out the items carefully.

Water Spotting – Dry-Clean only fabrics can easily spot and stain from flood water, so our inspectors carefully examine furniture for this. If the spotting is visible (on a sofa arm for example), then it may be necessary to dry-clean the entire piece. It may require bringing in a specialist for the task.

Color Bleeding – This occurs when the color runs from the fabric onto the legs of a chair or sofa and down to floors and carpets. SERVPRO has several methods to clean stained furniture, but carpets are much more challenging. To prevent it, we lift the items off the floor and place them either on blocks or over a pad that absorbs the bleed.

Mildew – The way we stop mildew from forming and growing is to dry the furniture as quickly as possible. If we do not have to worry about swelling, our technicians add air movers and dehumidifiers to the space heaters to speed up the process. If there is swelling, we carefully monitor the process so we dry the item rapidly, but without splintering or otherwise damaging it.

At SERVPRO of East Phoenix, we understand that homeowners are having one of the most difficult times in their life. Let us help you get through this and return your home and life to normal. Call today at (602) 507-6163.

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