Disasters happen. Rainwater can seep into a basement, leading to several inches of standing water. The dishwasher may leak, spilling soapy water across the kitchen hardwood floors. A pipe can burst while the homeowner is on vacation. These instances of water damage call for both water mitigation and water damage restoration services.
Water mitigation is a distinct service from water damage restoration. Although both tasks reduce and eventually eliminate the effects of water damage to a home, water mitigation is often the first priority for service professionals when it comes to safeguarding the home from the spread of damage.
What is the difference between water mitigation and water damage restoration?
The purpose of water mitigation is to prevent further damage in a water damage scenario. Service contractors remove affected structures, like drywall and flooring. If left unaddressed, wet flooring and drywall can rapidly lead to major problems, like structural weakening and mold growth.
Water damage restoration services are designed to repair and rebuild the damage caused by water. These professionals will, for example, remove mold spores that have infested the subflooring. Water damage restoration technicians begin the restoration task after the initial spread of water damage comes to a halt.
Do water mitigators work with restorers?
Water mitigators work in conjunction with water damage restorers. In fact, water mitigation technicians are the first to respond to a water damage call. Restorers cannot begin to fully re-establish the affected property until water mitigation professionals have stopped the spread of the ruin.
Oftentimes, water damage restoration technicians and water mitigation professionals work together and the corresponding services are offered by the same company. Customers who hire companies that perform both mitigation and restoration typically find it easier to restore their water damaged home.
What are examples of water mitigation services?
Water mitigators extract all excess moisture from the property using powerful equipment. Technicians use diagnostic tools, like moisture meters, to help measure dampness levels. Commercial-grade equipment, like dehumidifiers, air scrubbers and air movers, are also set up to dry the water-logged property.
Water mitigation services are temporary. For instance, water mitigation technicians apply tarp or board up the broken windows of a flood-damaged home to stabilize the property. Tarp and boarded-up windows keep out wild animals and the elements from intruding and further damaging the building.
Additionally, water mitigation specialists remove natural debris, like broken tree branches, and manmade debris, like loose roof shingles, from the surrounding property. These technicians also clean and disinfect the home. Eradicating existing water-borne bacteria is a last step to make the property safe to inhabit.
What are examples of water damage restoration services?
Water damage restoration technicians arrive to the mitigated site to rebuild the destruction. Hardwood flooring that has been severely warped by water damage is replaced by restorers. Mold is a common nuisance in water damaged homes, and restoration professionals work swiftly to eliminate mold colonies.
Restorers also repair damaged roofs and walls. Moisture testing is conducted as a final step to ensure all issues related to the initial water damage are fixed. Water damage restoration is the last phase of rebuilding or restoring a home ravaged by floodwaters.
How long does water mitigation take?
Mitigation is considered an emergency service. Water has the destructive tendency to cause pervasive damage to materials that absorb it. Consequently, water mitigators realize the importance of a quick response. In general, the time it takes to mitigate a property depends on how severe the water damage is.
How long does water damage restoration take?
Water damage restorers only arrive to the affected site after mitigation is successful. As a result, restorers do not arrive immediately. This is especially the case if the homeowner has contracted two separate companies to perform both water mitigation and restoration.
The length of time the property has been exposed to water is a reliable indication of its expected restoration time. For instance, a basement submerged in an inch of water for several days will have extensive mold and mildew growth. Eliminating mold can take up to seven days.
Stone floors require less time to replace than water damaged hardwood floors. A complete floor replacement can be expected to be finished in four to ten days. Water damaged walls often peel and may require both repair and repainting; the latter service requires several hours.
What affects water mitigation and restoration costs?
The price of water mitigation and water damage restoration services depends on numerous factors. Damage caused by low-risk clean water are always less expensive to restore than those caused by high-risk, unsanitary black water.
Ruin spurred by a massive flood is pricier to repair than the contained destruction from a dishwasher. The length of time a property has been exposed to floodwater affects the cost—more time under water means more damage or even replacement. Plus, mold growth warrants a higher cleanup price.
How accessible a water damaged space is and the materials involved also play important roles in determining the price of water mitigation and the subsequent restoration process.
Misconceptions Concerning Water Damage Restoration and Mitigation
Naturally, there are many people who may have misconceptions when it comes to water damage restoration and mitigation and dealing with instances of water damage. The following are the most common:
Replacing damaged materials is more cost effective than restoration.
This is not true as restoration professionals can often restore damaged furnishings and building materials for much less than the cost of replacing them. They will also identify which objects and materials can’t be saved and advise you to have them replaced.
Water damaged carpeting and drywall will naturally dry.
This may technically be true, but these materials will take a long time to dry on their own. Even then, they will only dry on the surface. Hidden moisture behind walls and underneath carpeting can trigger mold growth which will contribute to the damage and introduce health risks caused by mold exposure.
Restoration professionals can detect the levels of hidden moisture underneath carpeting and behind walls and take care of the problem before it leads to additional damage or mold growth.
DIY water damage restoration and mitigation are more cost-effective.
This is only true if you know what you are doing and can execute the repair or restoration flawlessly yourself. It is best to hire a professional that has the proper training and equipment to get the job done effectively. Cleaning up extensive water damage or flooding is a difficult and dangerous job and doing so improperly can result in further damage and put your health at risk.
Call ServiceMaster for Professional Water Damage Mitigation and Restoration
When water damage strikes, turn to Washington, DC’s, most trusted water damage restoration company, ServiceMaster NCR. Providing both water mitigation and water damage restoration services, ServiceMaster NCR is equipped to return your home or business to its pre-disaster state quickly.
The comprehensive restoration services provided by ServiceMaster NCR include an initial water damage assessment, a thorough extraction of all excess moisture, and a final sanitization with advanced chemical products. Technicians work swiftly to prevent the spread of water damage to other areas of your home or business.
ServiceMaster NCR reliably serves the residential and business communities in the Washington, DC, metro area. Conveniently schedule a water damage restoration service either online or by phone. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
