Cleaning & Restoration Solutions
Imagine your basement is flooded. Your floor is soaked, parts of the wall are damaged, and your possessions may just be inconveniently wet or saturated beyond repair. Now imagine that instead of your basement being flooded with water, it’s instead been flooded with your favorite pop. How would that affect your damages? Would it make cleanup and restoration easier or harder?
Although you probably won’t suffer from a flood of Faygo anytime soon, the fact is that the type of liquid that floods your home has a great effect on the types of damages you’ll incur and the level of cleanup and restoration you’ll need. In general, there are three types of water that can damage your home:
- Sanitary water
- Polluted water
- Unsanitary water
1. Sanitary Water Damage
Sanitary water comes from a clean source. Common examples of sanitary water include rainwater, drinking water, or water from a bathroom sink. It’s the easiest type of water to clean up because it doesn’t pose any health risks in and of itself — the water is relatively clean and safe.
However, health risks can develop over time, so a sanitary water flood still needs to be cleaned up promptly. If any type of water is left standing for 24–48 hours, it can cause mold and mildew to form, which can harm your health. That’s why it’s critical to call a water removal company no matter what type of water has flooded your home.
2. Polluted Water
When you hear the term “polluted water” you may picture factory runoff or other forms of water pollution. But when we use the term in regards to water damage, we simply mean clean water that’s been contaminated with a pollutant. That could be as common as the water in your washing machine or dishwasher.
Even though certain types of polluted water (also known as gray water) may feel commonplace, it’s still not a good idea to leave it alone. Polluted water contains microorganisms that can lead to illness if not cleaned up properly. Our water removal company has the experience and skill necessary to clean up areas flooded with polluted water before it turns into the third type of water: unsanitary water.
3. Unsanitary Water
Unsanitary water (also known as black water) is the most dangerous type of water that can flood your house. This water is contaminated with highly toxic chemicals, bacteria, or other materials. Examples of unsanitary water include sewage and water from rivers or streams.
If your home has been flooded with unsanitary water, then you may have more damages that are beyond repair. In particular, you’ll want to take a look at any porous materials, such as insulation or carpet, or semi-porous materials, such as concrete or wood. Any porous or semi-porous material that comes into contact with the water will likely have to be thrown away. Keep in mind too that porous and semi-porous materials allow water to seep through them, so anything next to or underneath these materials may be damaged as well. For example, if your carpet is soaked with unsanitary water, it’s likely that your floorboards have been damaged as well.
Because unsanitary water can permanently damage so many parts of your home, you’ll likely need water damage restoration as well as removal and cleanup. Our water damage restoration experts can sanitize, deodorize, and replace areas in your home that have been harmed by unsanitary water.
Minimize Water Damage with a Quick Quote & Cleanup
Water that’s left standing can quickly go from sanitary to polluted to unsanitary in a matter of days. No matter the type of water that has flooded your home, the easiest way to minimize your damages is to make sure the water is removed quickly and your home is cleaned and restored to pre-flood condition.
Our Kalamazoo and Lansing, MI, water removal and restoration experts can be at your home in under an hour to assess your damages and give you a free estimate. Call Camelot Emergency Water Removal today at (833) 252-0488, or contact us online. We’re available 24/7.
