How to Clean Your Home After a Flood

Before you get rid of contaminated debris, be sure to put on your respirator and other protective gear.

Jeff Bishop, former director on the board of the IICRC, recommends using shovels or rakes to remove wet silt and debris from your home, and depositing it a safe distance away from your house. Just make sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize your clothes and shoes, and clean the tools with bleach after you use them.

If you have flood insurance, call your insurance company about the documentation you need to back up your claim. You may need to save pieces of carpet, flooring, and walls, and take photos of the extent of the damage. The Insurance Information Institute says some insurers may want to view your property remotely via video chat or even use drone footage to assess damage to your entire neighborhood.

If any household items, such as pieces of furniture or carpeting, have been damaged and you can’t clean and dry them within 24 to 48 hours of your house being flooded, discard them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. Chances are these items already harbor mold and can’t be saved. If there’s any item of value that has to be discarded, take a photo of it for your insurance claim.

Ask your town’s sanitation department about how to dispose of household items from your cleanup.