Blog Post

What Needs to Be Replaced After Water Damage?

Ryker Bingham |  Mar 02, 2020

Water Damaged Hardwood Floor
If you’ve been through a flood, a roof leak, or some other situation that caused water damage to your home, you know how much havoc that can cause. And it doesn’t end when the water recedes. That’s when you need to make difficult decisions about what might be able to be saved and what items you need to throw out entirely and replace. Most people don’t like to get rid of their possessions even under the best of circumstances, and the aftermath of water damage is never the best of circumstances. You might be tempted to hold onto as much as you possibly can, but in many cases, replacement is the best choice. Take a look at which items have to be replaced after water damage, and which ones you might be able to repair or have restored. 

Food and Medicine

Any foods or medicines that have come in contact with floodwaters need to go. Even produce that you would normally wash before eating anyway could be contaminated by floods or leaks, so throw it out. The same goes for medicine – medicine containers may not be watertight and even a small amount of water could contain dangerous contaminants.

You may be able to save food that’s sealed in airtight metal cans if you can sanitize them properly but check the cans carefully first. Cans that are bulging or visibly damaged should be thrown away. Perishable items like meat, eggs, and leftovers will need to be thrown out if you’ve lost power for more than two hours, even if these items didn’t get wet. Until you’ve received the all-clear on your drinking water, you should assume that it’s contaminated as well – purchase bottled water or purify any water from the tap that you need for drinking or cooking until your home’s water is deemed safe to consume. 

Kitchenware

The good news is that many of your kitchen items can be saved, they just need to be cleaned properly and sanitized before use. Most dishes, pots and pans, and silverware can be saved and cleaned. 

However, plastic utensils will need to go. Wooden cutting boards and plates are porous and can absorb contaminants that can’t be easily removed, so they’ll need to be replaced. And it’s nearly impossible to safely clean baby bottle nipples (and pacifiers) so throw these out and replace them with new ones that are safe and sterile. 
Kitchenware

Appliances

Appliances that have been in floodwater may be able to be saved, but you’ll need to let them dry and have an electrician check them out before attempting to use them. If the electrician says that the appliance can’t be saved, get rid of it. 

Any circuit breakers and fuses that were submerged or soaked can’t be saved and will need to be replaced. 

Furniture

Whether or not your furniture can be saved depends largely on what the furniture is made of and how much it was affected by the water. For example, hardwood furniture can largely be saved – if it’s dried thoroughly and if there’s no mold growth. But upholstered furniture that’s submerged for a long time or soaked all the way through will most likely need to be replaced. 

Pressed wood or particleboard furniture that gets wet due to a steam leak may be able to be saved, but any other type of water damage is likely to render the furniture unusable. Meanwhile, laminated furniture is usually made of pressed wood underneath the laminate, so if the water causes the furniture to become delaminated, that will have to be replaced as well. 

Children’s Toys

Parents are understandably as worried about their children’s possessions as they are about their own – it can be devastating for children to lose things in a weather disaster or other flooding situation. Unfortunately, stuffed toys that have been submerged or soaked should not be considered salvageable – you’ll need to get rid of them. Wooden toys will also need to be replaced, along with anything that a baby or toddler might put in their mouth. 

Plastic toys can be cleaned, sanitized and saved, but only if you’re able to completely dry them. Toys that are hollow or made of interlocking pieces can end up with water trapped inside of them, and if you’re unable to clean them out thoroughly, you’ll need to replace them. 
Legos

Ceiling Tiles

Ceiling tiles may be able to be saved if they’ve only been exposed to steam damage or minor leaks. Check to see if the shape of the tile has been altered by the water – if not, the tile can be air-dried. However, if they’ve been submerged or soaked, they’ll need to be replaced – preferably quickly. 

Carpet and Flooring

If you have tile, vinyl, or linoleum flooring, you may be able to save them as long as there’s no sign of mold growth. However, if these floorings are installed over wood subfloors, you’ll need to at least temporarily remove them so that the subfloors can dry out properly. Likewise, if you have hardwood floors, you’ll need to remove the floorboards until they dry. Wood that is soaked or submerged in water swells, and if you leave the boards in place, the swelling causes buckling. Removing the floorboards can prevent buckling. Once they’re dry, you may be able to put some or all of them back into place – even if you can’t save all of them, you can cut down on the number of floorboards you need to replace. 

Carpets and backing can be restored if they can be removed and treated quickly, assuming that the water isn’t contaminated by sewage. If there’s sewage in the water, protect your own health and safety by discarding the carpet and backing. If the carpet is submerged for two days or more, it should also be considered unsalvageable and thrown out. 

Dealing with water damage is always difficult, and it’s hard to say goodbye to things that you loved that can’t be saved. However, Standard Restoration can help you save and restore as many of your things as possible after a water damage event. We will also help you determine what can and cannot be salvaged. If you are in the situation of dealing with the aftermath of water damage, please contact us to learn more.
Share by: