How Water Damage Affects Different Materials

Flooding: When It Rains It Pours

While flooding can be scary and quite the headache, once the flooding stops, the next set of problems begin to creep in and can be another big hassle. Water damage can be a vicious variable for any homeowner to keep an eye out for, but with floods, the amount of water damage you can have on your hands can be overwhelming. Whether through natural disasters, HVAC issues, or even something like a broken pipe, flooding woes can linger for quite some time. Depending on the material exposed to water, you may have different forms of damage, and here are a few to keep an eye out for if you ever find yourself having to identify water-damaged materials in your home.

Water Damaged Wood

Depending on where the flood in your home occurred, if any wood structures or furniture were exposed to excessive amounts of water, the damage it can have on wood is massive. Immediately after a flood, you may notice that it can stain wood and have worn down any adhesives on wood flooring.

Unfortunately, wood likes to absorb moisture, causing your wood structures to expand and warp due to the water it absorbs, which can cause issues with furniture or even uneven floors. As if things could not get worse, water-damaged wood can be a breeding ground for mold, which will only accelerate the process of the wood rotting. While it may be tempting to try and dry out the wood structures in an attempt to salvage material, more than likely, you’re going to have to throw out the wood. If you’re unsure if you can recover any water-damaged wood, give our professionals a call (240) 348-9566, and we’ll help take that weight off your shoulders.

Water Damaged Carpets And Rugs

Much like wood structures, carpets and rugs will absorb significant amounts of water the longer it is submerged. Depending on how long your carpets have been sitting in water, you may have to get rid of them. While water can weaken adhesives, thereby damaging the overall structure of your carpets, the most significant concerns are mold and mildew. Water-damaged carpets or rugs are susceptible to mold and mildew growth if they have not been adequately dried after about 24 hours, but that is not a strict timeline, so the sooner you can dry these items, the better. Aside from unpleasant sights and smells, mold or mildew growth on your carpets can be a hazard to your home’s air quality.

Water Damaged Upholstery and Curtains

While your biggest concern with water-damaged upholstery is, you guessed it, mold growth, there are a few other annoying problems that can spring up even if you can salvage them. Upholstery will become a hassle to save if the water damage is severe because the frame and joints of the furniture will weaken.

Another annoyance is that any cushions that are part of the furniture will soak up water, making it hard to dry and leading to mold or mildew growth, which further damages the foundation. With Certain textiles, you may notice that the flooding has caused discoloration or color bleeding that can ruin the overall visual appeal of curtains. Another issue that you might not have considered with fabrics is shrinkage due to water, which can make salvaging certain fabrics even more of a hassle.

Water Damaged Personal Items

Possibly the most heartbreaking items to be damaged in floods are personal belongings because you can easily replace material things, but the sentimental value is much harder to do so. With books or photos, you want to disinfect and dry your belongings as fast as possible to salvage them. Water-damaged photos can discolor severely, and with books, the pages can stain, or even worse, easily rip.

At Home Services Restoration, LLC we know how damaging floods can be, so give us a call at (240) 348-9566 and we can give you and your family the comfort of knowing we can restore a lot of the damage.