How To Protect Wood Floors After a Pipe Burst

10/29/2020 (Permalink)

Water damaged wooden floor

If there is a pipe burst at your Henning, MN, commercial property, your wood floors may be permanently damaged. However, acting quickly can minimize problems.

How To Dry Wood Floors

If floors are allowed to remain wet for too long, irreparable damage may occur. Therefore, it is important to dry the floor as quickly as possible. The following tools can be extremely helpful:

• Moisture meter
  
• Fan
  
• Dehumidifier
  
• Wet/dry vacuum
  
  

If there is not a lot of water and the wood floor has a strong sealant, it may be possible to simply mop up the water. However, a wet/dry vacuum is often needed. Run the vacuum over the wet floor until it stops pulling out water. Next, turn on fans and a dehumidifier to dry out the remaining moisture. If the humidity outside is low, opening windows and doors can speed drying time. As the floor dries, use a moisture meter to compare the moisture levels of the affected area to that of a non-affected area. When the levels are equal, you can begin making repairs.

How To Clean Wood Floors
Although a pipe burst usually involves only clean water, other water damage situations may require you to sanitize the floor once it is dry. In many cases, a cleaning solution and a scrub brush or other cleaning utensil will be sufficient to clean the floor. Choose a cleaner and cleaning tool most appropriate to the type of wood and contamination level you are dealing with. A non-sudsing cleaner is recommended as it reduces the amount of rinsing required.
Dealing with the fallout from a pipe burst can be tricky. In addition to repairing the pipe itself, the water must be cleaned up quickly to prevent further damage. While some business owners can take care of the problem themselves, others enlist the help of an experienced restoration team with the knowledge and equipment to clean up water damage quickly and thoroughly.