If you’re a homeowner who is dealing with a basement that’s prone to flooding, you know how much of a headache it can be to deal with. Not only is flooding a health hazard for you and your family, but it is also destructive to your property and damaging to the integrity of your home as well. If you’re ready to make flooding a thing of the past, keep reading. Here are some ways you can do just that and ensure your home is left safe and healthy for everyone.

Focus on Its Foundation and Drainage

Sometimes, making major changes to your home is necessary in order to prevent disasters like flooding. Other times, making simple changes might be all you need to fix the issue.

Depending on the severity of the flooding, getting a good look at your entire foundation will serve as an indicator of what’s really going on down there. Since this is not exactly a project you can effectively even begin do by hand, don’t hesitate to call for emergency excavation services Festus MO. Keep in mind that any work done around a foundation has the potential to be dangerous so it’s important to rely on the professionals.

Do you have gutters and downspouts installed on your home? If you do, are they clear of debris? If you don’t have a gutter system yet, add it to the top of your to-do list. When installed correctly (and in good working condition) these are instrumental in ensuring rainwater runs away from your home, not towards it.

It’s also important to make sure the grade of your landscape is appropriate, making changes as necessary. Grade plays another huge part in whether the soil around your foundation is well-drained or not.

Clean the Right Way

Drying out and cleaning a flooded basement is no small task, and it’s important that you do it the right way.

Having a sump pump on hand to remove as much standing water as possible is a necessity. For those times when there’s too much water for your pump to handle, calling in water damage professionals will ensure your basement is drained effectively. Proper ventilation is also critical to this process, as is tossing out items that have become soaked, such as cardboard boxes, carpeting and other soft surfaces that cannot be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

If your basement is finished, removing the drywall might be the only way to determine how far the flood water seeped through. Any soaked drywall should be removed and replaced. However, you still might be able to salvage some depending on the depth of the flood.

In addition to removing water and ventilating, be sure to make sanitation a priority. Since floodwaters tend to contain harmful bacteria, thoroughly disinfecting all washable surfaces in your basement with bleach is a must.