One of the biggest headaches with flooding is your water damaged furniture. Thankfully there is something you can do to counteract the damage.
An accident or natural disaster could happen at any time and affect anyone. Whether you live in a flood zone, a terrible rainstorm hits, a pipe bursts in your basement, or your sink or toilet overflows, you could be left with water damage.
Flooding and water damage causes many hassles. Among the unbelievably frustrating aspects of dealing with water damage is knowing there is water damage on furniture and your other belongings.
There is a lot to stress about with water damage, but you may rest easy knowing there is hope for restoring it. Thankfully, depending on the severity of the situation and the type of materials used, a lot of water damaged furniture is salvageable.
Whether or not your soaked furniture can be saved after a flood or natural disaster will depend on the type of furniture you have and how bad the water damage was in your property. Furniture made from solid wood has a better chance of being salvaged than particleboard or upholstered furniture because it is less porous (more on that below).
The water damage restoration process, including restoring water damaged furniture, is highly involved, tedious, and detailed, and is better left to the professionals. However, there are some things you may want to do to help the process before the experts arrive. Continue scrolling to learn more.
Water damaged furniture: 5 tips and tricks to salvaging
A flood can be devastating. Whether it’s a couple of inches of water in your home or the flood was much larger and accrued a foot or more of water, you are still faced with remediating, salvaging, repairing, and restoring your property. The great news is that most solid wood furniture may be salvaged after water damage-related accidents.
Here are some tips and tricks to consider when dealing with water damage and your furniture:
- Take photographs and videos — After any natural disaster or accident, it’s smart to take photos and video footage of the damage done to your property (including your water damaged furniture) for your insurance claim. Once you get the “all clear” from authorities that it’s safe to enter your home, take photographic evidence before you do anything like cleaning or moving stuff around.
Take more pictures and videos than you think you’ll need, from various angles and depths. Even if you are able to salvage some of your furniture, your insurance policy could pay out to help cover costs of the project.
- Call the home restoration professionals — You never know when an accident like a flood will hit. That’s why it’s crucial to have a professional emergency restoration company available 24/7 for an emergency water damage assessment and help on speed dial.
Some homeowners opt to do the task themselves, but a professional has the expertise and equipment to give an accurate water damage assessment and get the clean up done effectively and efficiently. Quick responses and reliable results are critical when it comes to emergencies, accidents, and disasters, and doing the job yourself rarely works out well
A trusted professional has the experience and tools to handle issues from a simple toilet overflow to a fully submerged house and tackle water damage on furniture. Most property owners that try to do it themselves waste valuable time and money in the long run and have to hire an expert to do it anyway.
- Dry it out — Drying out your furniture as soon as possible is key. If the weather permits, dry your damaged furniture outside in a shady area. Putting your wooden furniture into direct sunlight could cause cracking and warping.
If you cannot bring your furniture outside, but still have wet floors, use blocks or bricks to keep your furniture up off of the floors. Set up dehumidifiers and fans to begin the drying out and keep air moving until the experts come in with their professional tools and equipment. Never use heat (irons, hair dryers, etc.) to expedite the drying process since this could damage the wood.
To help your water damaged furniture dry more quickly:
- Remove any drawers and open cabinet doors. If you can’t open them or get them out, they could be stuck because the wood has swollen from the water.
- If this is the case, do not force them out, but check on often as the swelling reduces as it dries.
- Remove or open them as soon as you can.
- Upholster furniture — Water damage on furniture that is upholstered often requires reupholstering. Leather and vinyl upholstery are usually more resistant to water damage than furniture wrapped in fabric. You may want to try drying it out first, but if your furniture shows major water stains or smells musty, you’ll likely need to resort to reupholstering.
Before embarking on your project, make sure that it makes financial sense. If your couch is damaged in a house flood and needs repairing, consider how much you spent on it and how much it would cost to repair it. Another good rule of thumb is that if you’d be heartbroken to see the couch go, giving it a second life with new upholstery is probably worth it. Remember, insurance could pay out and help you purchase new furniture.
- Repair wood furniture — When left untreated, water and flood damage can destroy wooden furniture. There are products you may apply to restore lightly stained wood; however, most significant damage requires a bit more work. You will need sandpaper (220 grit), protective goggles, a face mask, and gloves to restore wooden furniture.
First, sand the completely dry wood until smooth, removing any old stains and varnish. Sand the entire piece until it matches and looks the same color. Next, apply diluted bleach to the impacted area and let it dry completely. Skipping this step could result in mold issues down the line. Then, apply a high-quality furniture oil or stain, allow it to dry, and then seal it with a wood sealer to ensure your furniture pieces look good for years to come.
Affected by water damage or flooding? Contact Western Disaster Clean Up.
There’s no denying that a flood is unpleasant and inconvenient, and water damaged furniture is just part of it. But Western Disaster Clean Up professionals are here to make the process as easy and painless as possible.
The Western Disaster Clean Up team has handled nearly countless floods, sewage backups, fires, and smoke & odor damages and has perfected the art of cleaning up after a disaster or accident. Whether it’s a simple toilet overflow or a house fully submerged underwater, our trusted specialists have the skills and knowledge to give you an accurate water damage assessment to restore your property.
We are located in Orem, UT, and service all of Northern Utah. Our team is available 24/7 for emergency services. Contact Western Disaster Clean Up to learn more today!
