Water mitigation or restoration is necessary to restore your property when flood or water damage occurs.
Water damage can hit your property at any moment with little to no notice. A frozen pipe could burst and flood your basement while you’re at work. Your old washing machine could finally break and spill water on your hardwood floors, causing tons of damage. A severe rain storm could cause leaks in your roof and result in water damage affecting the structure of your roof or even flooding in various parts of your home.
In any of these instances — and so many others that could occur as a homeowner — water mitigation and water restoration services are likely necessary. But what is the difference between the two?
Understanding the remediation process is important to see what a water damage specialist does and what you can expect when a team of professionals visits your home.
Continue scrolling below to learn more about the differences between water restoration and water mitigation.
What is water mitigation?
A water mitigation specialist will minimize water damage after an accident or disaster. It includes steps like water extraction and drying of all affected areas to halt damage and prevent future damage immediately following water damage.
A remediation technician will perform water mitigation to restore an affected area to its best possible condition and prevent any long-term damage that might be caused by standing water.
Your water mitigation professional has the necessary skills, equipment, and knowledge to thoroughly mitigate any situation. Not only does proper water mitigation help minimize damage, but it also significantly reduces costs by preventing further damage and deterioration and the need for future repairs.
What is water restoration?
The water restoration process includes mitigation and repairing and restoring any affected areas to their former or best condition. Water restoration involves using industrial fans, air movers, and dehumidifiers to reduce moisture while facilitating and expediting drying to improve conditions in affected areas.
Depending on the level of damage, the water damage restoration process may take anywhere from a few days to a week or more to complete. Your water cleanup company will keep a close eye on the original condition and the progress made during treatment and make necessary adjustments along the way.
Water mitigation vs. water restoration
Water mitigation and water damage restoration are two entirely different processes. However, many people use them interchangeably. Here are the distinct differences you’ll see between the two:
Water mitigation: Water mitigation is preventative. This process focuses on the immediate concerns after a water-related incident, such as removing excess water, drying, and stopping leaks. This process often includes rapid water extraction, moisture detection, mold prevention measures, structural drying, and temporary fixes.
Water damage restoration: Water restoration is reactive and involves a more compressive approach to completely repairing and restoring the affected area to its best possible condition after a water-related incident. Key components of the process include comprehensive damage assessment, water mitigation and dehumidification, structural repairs and restoration, and stabilizing the area.
Water mitigation and restoration processes
Professionals take immediate and swift steps to minimize, stop, and contain the initial damage caused by water damage or flooding, then repair and restore the affected area. Attempting these steps yourself is not suggested and poses significant risks, such as exposure to harmful contaminants and hazards and ineffective repairs and restoration.
Here’s a quick overview of the essential steps taken by professionals:
- Safety precautions — This first step prioritizes safety and health measures to protect property owners and professional technicians from potential dangers. This step includes identifying and mitigating risks related to electrical problems, structural damage, and potential exposure to harmful substances.
- Damage assessment and inspections — Detailed assessments and inspections help determine the class and category of damage. This information forms the foundation of a restoration plan tailored to this specific instance.
- Personal items protection — Your service professional will safeguard all your valuables and belongings from further damage during the next steps. This includes removal, assessment, and appropriate protective measures to preserve your contents.
- Remove water — Mitigation technicians use equipment like pumps and extractors to remove any standing water and excess moisture.
- Clean and sanitize — Your professional will thoroughly clean and disinfect affected surfaces to eliminate potential health hazards. This includes managing issues like mold growth and the spread of other contaminants to ensure your environment is safe.
- Provide necessary equipment — Your water cleanup company will apply drying equipment like air movers and dehumidifiers to facilitate further drying. Proper equipment placement and usage are essential for optimal results. Using this equipment, an expert mitigation technician will control temperature, humidity levels, and airflow.
- Monitor daily — Lastly, daily assessments are conducted to track progress and make necessary adjustments to your specific restoration plan. This ongoing monitoring ensures your mitigation and restoration efforts are effective and allows for interventions to quickly address any problems.
- Demolition of affected materials— The water damage restoration process begins once mitigation is complete. Professionals will remove water-damaged drywall, flooring and carpets, sub-flooring, damaged framing, and anything else that needs to be replaced.
- Mold and excess moisture inspections — Inspections do not stop after the mitigation process. All along the way, your restoration professional will look for mold and excess water. After the demo process, more of your property is opened up, making it an ideal time to look for issues like mold or excess moisture.
- Repair or replace damaged areas — Your restoration expert will repair or replace (depending on its condition) your subfloor, structural components, doors, windows, and anything else that requires rebuilding, ensuring they are safe, sturdy, and ready to be built upon.
- Restore flooring, drywall, and finish work — Now that your property is down to its bones and there are no signs of damage, the rebuilding process may begin. Your professionals will put drywall in place, lay new hard flooring or carpet, add trim, and do other finish work. After this, your experts can add paint and prepare everything for move-in day.
- Testing for moisture — Again, your professional will test for moisture all along the way, and this is another time when they’ll check to ensure your property is completely dry and no issues will pop up down the road.
- Move-in day — Well, maybe it’s not actually move-in day, since maybe you never actually left, but now you can move your furniture back into the space and enjoy a fully restored space to its former condition.
Western Disaster Clean Up is the water cleanup company for you!
If you’ve been affected by a flood or another cause of water damage and need a water mitigation or restoration specialist, contact the professionals at Western Disaster Clean Up.
Water damage from a leaky roof, overflowing sink or toilet, or a burst pipe can quickly damage your home or business. If not addressed quickly, these problems could result in structural rot, foul odors, and health and safety hazards down the line. Immediate treatment and action are necessary to avoid these long-term issues, and Western Disaster Clean Up professionals are here for you.
Our skilled and knowledgeable team has handled thousands of home and business disasters, like fire and smoke damage remediation, flood repair, mold remediation, and more. Whether your property is significantly affected by one of these disasters or something else, our team has the equipment, experience, and knowledge to restore it completely.
The Western Disaster Clean Up team is here to simplify your life, which is why we’re available 24/7 for emergency services and will work with your insurance company to ensure you get everything you are entitled to with your policy. We prioritize high-quality work and customer service, making superior results and quick responses something to expect when you work with us.
You’ll find us all along the Wasatch Front and Back and service areas like Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Orem, Holladay, Lindon, Park City, and many other surrounding neighborhoods. Contact Western Disaster Clean Up today to learn more.
