Flood Recovery for Rural Areas - part 4

Cleaning Flood-Soiled Clothing and Bedding

What to Salvage and How To Clean It

Unfortunately, cleaning your flood-soiled clothing and bedding is not the same as doing the usual family wash. Items need to be sanitized as you wash them. And your washing machine may be flood-damaged, making machine washing out of the question until you can get to a laundromat or friend's house. Nevertheless, you can help prevent mildew damage to clothes and bedding by sorting and drying items as soon as possible. Even if your washing machine was not flooded, avoid using it until you know that the water is safe enough to drink and that your sewer line works. Before you wash clothes in the machine, run it through one full cycle. Be sure to use hot water and a disinfectant or sanitizer, such as chlorine bleach.

Clothing

When cleaning flood-damaged clothing:

Separate wet items as soon as possible to keep clothing colors from running together. Sort out clothing that should be dry-cleaned.
Take clothes and linens outdoors and shake out dried mud or dirt. Hose off extremely muddy items to avoid clogging your drain when you wash. If you don't have access to water, simply dry things out.
If possible, soak badly soiled items overnight in cold water and detergent. Wring out and air dry if you're unable to machine wash right away.
Check the labels on clothes and linens, and wash them in detergent and warm water if possible. Adding chlorine bleach to the wash cycle will remove most mildew and will sanitize the clothing. Because bleach fades some fabrics and damages others, use other sanitizer, such as pine oil cleaners, as necessary.
If an item is still stained after washing, rewash before drying. Drying may make some stains more difficult to remove.
Items to be dry-cleaned should be air-dried and taken to a cleaner as soon as possible.
Furs and leathers are usually worth the cost of professional cleaning. If you want to clean leather yourself, wash the mud off and dry the leather slowly. Keep it away from heat or sunlight while drying.

Bedding

Bedding should be hung out to dry as soon as possible. Once dry, brush off excess soil and dirt. Pillows, while washable, usually should be discarded if soaked with contaminated floodwater.
Sheets and pillow cases. Put sheets and pillow cases through two complete washing cycles. Use diluted liquid chlorine bleach to help kill germs. Follow your usual drying procedure.
Blankets. Put washable blankets (acrylic, cotton) through two complete washing cycles. Air dry or use an automatic dryer at proper tempera-temperature settings. Put wool blankets through a dry-cleaning process either at a commercial coin-operated facility or dry-cleaning plant. Shrinkage and the difficulty of thorough cleaning make wool blankets troublesome to wash.
Quilts and comforters. Wash or dry-clean depending on fiber content of the bedding. Usually, it is best to wash cotton quilts.

Mattresses

As a general rule, inexpensive mattresses are not worth the expense of professional sanitizing and reconditioning. They should be discarded.

In some cases, a good inner spring mattress may be worth the cost of reconditioning. Get an estimate from commercial facilities.
If the outside of the mattress is only slightly damp, brush off surface soil and wipe with a cloth wrung out of a solution of one cup denatured or rubbing alcohol and one cup water.

Cleaning Flood-Damaged Carpets and Rugs

When to Discard, Clean or Call a Professional

When faced with flood-damaged carpeting and rugs, your options will depend on the source of flooding. If floodwater consisted of clean basement seepage or lawn runoff into a sub-basement, drying and cleaning is an easy decision. But if sewage-contaminated floodwater has covered your carpeting, you probably will need to discard it for health safety reasons. You can assume the water and the carpet contain infectious organisms. Throw rugs can usually be saved.

General Rules

Wall-to-wall carpeting, most large area rugs and any rug with foam backing should be discarded if flooded with contaminated water. Except for valuable rugs, the time and expense of professional cleaning generally is not worth the effort or the health risk.
If you are determined to salvage carpeting soaked with contaminated water, consult a professional cleaning company that services carpets at its own cleaning and drying facilities. A steam cleaning (hot-water extraction) method is preferable.
A wall-to-wall carpet soaked by clean rainwater can be salvaged. Have it professionally cleaned or clean it using the directions below.
Throw rugs usually can be cleaned adequately in a washing machine.

Cleaning Rain-Soaked Carpets

Cleaning basement carpeting indoors is not a good idea in summer because you are adding even more moisture to an already wet area. If the carpeting is installed with tack strips you may be able to remove it, have it cleaned and reinstalled. Padding is nearly impossible to clean so it should be replaced.

If you can't remove the carpeting, dry it as quickly as possible to minimize growth of mildew. If possible, use a wet/dry vacuum system. A dehumidifier can help remove moisture from the air. Keep windows closed when using a dehumidifier.
When the carpet is thoroughly dry, vacuum the area.
Shampoo and repeat the drying process. Keep in mind that most modern carpeting is made of nylon and should not be treated with bleach.
Vacuum again.
You can reduce a musty smell with the following process:
1. Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet, working it in with a broom or sponge mop.
2. Leave the baking soda treatment on overnight.
3. Vacuum the baking soda out. Vacuum twice, moving back and forth in a different direction the second time.

Flood-Damaged Furniture and Appliances

Deciding What to Salvage and Tips on Reconditioning

Evaluating appliance damage is a high priority after a flood. Have a service person check flooded appliances before you attempt operation or invest a lot of time in clean-up. Deciding which furniture to save may be a more personal issue, especially if you have antiques and other pieces with sentimental value. Keep in mind that you don't need to repair all pieces of salvageable furniture immediately. You can clean, dry and store them in a warm, well-ventilated place until you have time to deal with them.

Appliances

Before entering a home after a flood, be sure that the electricity to the dwelling has been completely shut off. Appliances should not be operated until they have been checked by service personnel. Here are some things that may need to be done:

Electrical motors may need to be reconditioned or replaced.
Wiring and fixtures need to be checked and cleaned. They may also need replacement.
Before cleaning and sanitizing an appliance, be sure the motor is in safe working order. It may not be worth the time to clean up the unit.
A rust inhibitor may need to be applied to all metal parts. Even though an appliance may not have been submerged, rust can develop from dampness in the air.

Refrigerators and Freezers

Sanitize the refrigerator or freezer if water has seeped in. Be sure the motor and freezing unit are in safe working order and insulation is not wet. Wet insulation means replacement may be necessary.
Remove and wash all shelves, crispers and ice trays. Wash thoroughly with water and detergent. Rinse with a disinfectant solution.
Wash the interior of the refrigerator, including the door and door gasket, with hot water and baking soda. Rinse with a disinfectant solution.
Leave the door open for about 15 minutes to allow free air circulation.
If odor remains, place several pieces of activated charcoal in an open metal container, or use a commercial refrigerator deodorizer.
Wash the outside with a mild detergent and hot water.

Laundry Equipment

After washers and dryers have been reconditioned, sanitize them as follows:

Pour a disinfectant (chlorine, pine oil or phenolic) into the empty washing machine. Then complete a 15 minute cycle at the "hot" water setting.
Unplug the dryer and wipe the drum and door with a cloth dipped in disinfectant solution. Rinse with a cloth dipped in clear water.
Leave the dryer door open until all parts are thoroughly dry, preferably overnight.

Furniture

Before starting to salvage damaged furniture, decide which pieces are worth restoring. Such decisions should be based on: the extent of damage, cost of the article, sentimental value and cost of restoration. Antiques are probably worth the time, effort and expense of restoration. Unless damage is severe, you may be able to clean and refinish antiques at home.

Don't try to force open swollen wooden doors and drawers. Instead, take off the back of the piece of furniture to let the air circulate. You probably will be able to open the drawers after they dry.
Solid wood furniture can usually be restored, unless damage is severe. It probably will need to be cleaned, dried and reglued. Wood alcohol or turpentine applied with a cotton ball may remove white mildew spots on wood. Cream wood restorers with lanolin will help restore good wooden furniture parts.
Wood veneered furniture is usually not worth the cost and effort of repair, unless it is very valuable. If veneer is loose in just a few places, you may be able to glue it adequately.
Upholstered furniture soaks up contaminants from flood waters and should be cleaned only by a professional. Get a cost estimate to see if furniture is worth saving. Usually, flood-soaked upholstered pieces should be thrown away unless they are antiques or quite valuable.

Caring For Important Papers

Steps to Take Before and After a Flood

Valuable papers and records should be given maximum protection from any disaster. Water- and fire-resistant file cabinets are available for storing some records at home. A commercial storage area, such as a safe-deposit box, will assure protection from theft and physical damage.

Consider making copies of your valuable papers for selected professionals, family members or friends, to assure their prompt availability when needed. Lists of all such documents and the location of each should be stored in more than one place.

If important documents or books have been damaged by floodwater, follow the instructions outlined here for drying. However, it is a good idea to photocopy any important papers as a precautionary measure. Even if papers appear to have dried successfully, they may disintegrate rapidly because of substances in the floodwater.

Keep an Up-to-Date Household Inventory

An inventory of household items and other property is especially valuable in case of a disaster. When making the inventory, do not overlook items kept in cabinets, closets, the freezer, garage and yard. Consider making a video of your inventory and property; at minimum, take some photographs. An accurate inventory will help determine if you have enough insurance to cover the contents of your home. Whenever possible, record the date of purchase and purchase price of items. Keep the inventory current.

Papers to be Stored in the Home

Keep the following papers stored at home in a water-proof, fire-proof, locked box:

Family advisors names and addresses.
Educational, employment and health records.
Copies of birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies.
Driver license numbers, income tax returns, current bank balances, loan payment books.
Guarantees and warranties, appliance manuals, rental property records.
Household inventory, safe-deposit records, one copy of a list of valuable papers and their locations.

Papers to be Stored in a Safe-Deposit Box

Keep the following papers stored in a safe-deposit box, especially during a disaster:

Property records, deeds, titles and/or leases.
Copies of wills (his and hers); birth, death and marriage certificates; divorce decrees; adoption or custody papers; citizenship papers; passports; military service records.
Stocks records, bond certificates, contracts (including promissory notes), supporting documents of years of large transactions, unusual losses or deductions.
List of insurance policies, automobile bills of sale and titles, social security cards.
Government savings bonds, religious records, retirement papers, copyrights and patents.
Household inventory, one copy of a list of valuable papers and their locations.

Important Papers Drying Papers and Books

Dry papers and books slowly for best results. Photocopy valuable papers as a precautionary measure because flood-damage may cause rapid deterioration. If you don't have the time to clean and dry them immediately, consider putting them in the freezer to prevent mildewing. Place wax paper between layers of paper bundles or books so they can be separated easily when removed.

Wipe book covers with a solution of one part rubbing or denatured alcohol and one part water.
Place books on end with leaves separated. When partially dry, pile and press books to keep pages from crumpling. Alternate drying and pressing until books are thoroughly dry. This helps prevent mildew. Use a fan to hasten drying.
If papers and books are very damp, sprinkle pages with corn starch or talcum powder to absorb moisture. Leave powder for several hours, then brush it off.
For valuable books that are nearly dry, consider pressing the pages with an electric iron set on low. This is a tedious process, but may be worth the effort. Separate the pages to prevent musty odors.
Some chemicals help stop mold growth. Contact your county Extension office for recommendations on use.
When books are thoroughly dry, close them and use C-clamps to help them retain their shape. Wipe vinyl and leather book covers with a light coating of petroleum jelly or leather or vinyl dressing.