Flood Cleanup Tips

1. Make a cleaning supplies checklist that includes the following:
   
   • Brooms, mops, brushes, sponges
   • Buckets, hose
   • Rubber gloves
   • Rags
   • Cleaner
   • Disinfectants
   • Trash bags
   • Hair Dryer
2. Tackle one room at a time. Use a two bucket approach—one bucket for rinsing and the other for cleaners. This keeps most of the dirty rinse water out of your cleaning solution.
3. When cleaning a wall, start at the bottom where the most damage is.  If the wallboard or plaster was removed, wash the studs and sills and disinfect them.
4. Do not try to force open swollen wooden doors and drawers.  Take off the back of the furniture to let the air circulate.  You will probably be able to open the drawers after they dry.
5. Check the back of all electrical appliances for warning labels before touching or cleaning them.  Appliances with warning labels will have to be professionally cleaned.  If you can not wait for a professional cleaning job, unplug, disassemble and hose off the appliance with hot water.  Then clean and disinfect, but do not use detergents.
6. Watch for stripped or damaged wire insulation.  Make sure all appliances are properly grounded.
7. Even if your washing machine did not get wet, do not use it until you are sure the water is safe enough to drink and your sewer line works.  Before you wash your clothes, run the machine through one full cycle with hot water and a disinfectant or sanitizer.
8. Throw out soft plastic or porous items that probably absorbed whatever the floodwaters carried in.
9. The same rules that go for the washing machine also go for the dish washing machine.  Make sure the water is safe and the sewer system is functioning, and run the machine once with disinfectant to clean it.  Until the machine is safe to use, wash dishes by hand with a disinfectant and let them air dry.  Do not use a dish towel.
10. Food and garbage must be hauled away immediately.  Do not turn your yard into a garbage dump.
11. Drain or remove standing water to prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  Empty water from old tires, barrels and cans.
12. Check that your gutters, ditches and drains are clean and can work properly to carry water away from your home.