Restoring Furniture After Water Damage

1/19/2021 (Permalink)

After a flood, your furniture may be damaged beyond repair. However, it may be difficult to tell if this is the case if you don’t have experience with water damage restoration. If you’re dealing with water damage in your home or business and your furniture is clearly affected, you should probably call a professional to assess the damage and help with the restoration. Nevertheless, there are a few steps you can take while waiting for the professionals to arrive. Read on to discover a few tips on what to do after your furniture is damaged by water.

1) Call the professionals.

Restoring furniture after water damage is no easy task, and it’s wise to have a professional assess it and help with restoration unless you feel equipped to tackle it yourself. Take pictures of the damage as well so you have something to show your insurance provider when you make a claim. Documentation of damage is always an important first step.

2) Soak up excess water.

If there is any excess water around your furniture, soak it up with towels. Use a fan far away from the water to dry out your furniture. Don’t air-dry the furniture if it’s wood as that may cause it to warp. Instead, just use fans and towels to do the best job that you can drying it until the professionals arrive.

3) Rinse off wood furniture.

If you’re dealing with wood furniture that got submerged, rinse off any mud or debris that is on wood furniture. You should also remove any drawers or removable parts of the furniture to make sure it gets properly aired out. As stated in the bullet above, don’t let the wood furniture air dry. 

4) Separate upholstery fabrics if possible.

Usually, upholstered furniture cannot be salvaged after severe water damage, but if you can separate the fabrics from the framework, do that. Professionals should handle any upholstered furniture that may be damaged, and this may be time-consuming and expensive to salvage. It may be wiser to just chuck it and buy new furniture.

Are you dealing with water damage? Give SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville a call at (615) 242-9391. In addition to water damage restoration and potentially helping you restore your furniture, we can help prevent mold growth and return your property to its pre-damaged state. This franchise is independently owned and operated.