It’s important to remove flood damaged items from your home as they can pose a serious health risk to you and your family.
Here are some tips for cleaning up your home and property.
Personal safety while cleaning up:
- wear rubber gloves, sturdy footwear, long-sleeved top and trousers
- wear a face mask (such as a blue surgical mask used to protect against COVID-19)
- cover any cuts and grazes you may have to avoid them becoming infected
- ensure you have a shovel to remove any contaminated material.
Drying and cleaning flood damaged properties as soon as possible will reduce the risk of mould and fungi damage.
To help dry your home you should:
- remove soft furnishings from your home and clean and disinfect them where possible
- ventilate and/or heat the home to allow drying to occur as quickly as possible
- remove and discard contaminated household materials that cannot be cleaned or disinfected, such as mattresses, carpet and children's soft toys.
Other things to consider:
- If your gas meter has been affected by flood water or debris, contact your gas supplier
- keep children and animals away from previously flooded areas until they have been cleaned and made safe
- take photos and videos of the damage and anything that needs to be thrown away before starting the clean up, for insurance purposes
- throw away all food and drinking water that has come in contact with floodwater, including things stored in containers
- DO NOT eat garden produce if the soil has been flooded. Clean up and remove debris and sprinkle gardens with lime