Your Belongings and Water Damage

What Should Happen with Water Damaged Belongings?

While every property we help after water damage might not have culturally significant items like the Pinellas County African American History Museum, you are undoubtedly attached to several belongings, valuables, and keepsakes inside your residence. When water damage events occur, it is vital to begin fast and deliberate actions to protect and preserve these items however possible. Even when you cannot save these items, rapid mitigation of our SERVPRO team can often help.

Working Quickly to Protect Your Belongings

åThe migration and movement of standing water and trapped moisture are widespread and rapid. Anything in the path of water damage is at risk for irreparable harm, including porous contents. While each individual item has a different destruction timeline, that clock begins as soon as these objects encounter moisture damage. The first thing that occupants should do is to contact experienced professionals to help their bay area home, like our SERVPRO of Clearwater South / Clearwater Beach team. Initial restoration actions are vital to prevent further content damage, like:

  • Water removal services
  • Thorough drying of the perimeter
  • Physical barriers

What Should You Do Before Help Arrives? 

While it should always be a priority to ensure your family’s safety above all else, you might be able to perform some actions to protect some contents in harm’s way. Relocate belongings to an upper floor away from water damage or open windows and doorways to increase airflow.

If You Have Questions or Need Help,
Call Us Today – (727) 614-0099

Contents Restoration

SERVPRO of Clearwater South / Clearwater Beach specializes in restoring contents damaged by fire, water, or mold. Our expertise and “restore” versus “replace” mentality can help you save money while preserving precious keepsakes that can’t be replaced. We pretest your contents to determine what items can be restored back to their condition before the water damage. We utilize several methods of cleaning your contents, including the following:

  • Dry Cleaning - Used for cleaning light residues or to pre-clean prior to wet cleaning.
  • Wet Cleaning - An effective cleaning method for removing moderate to heavy residues.
  • Spray and Wipe -Effective for items that can’t withstand wet cleaning.
  • Foam Cleaning - Used for upholstery fabrics that might shrink or bleed if wet cleaned.
  • Abrasive Cleaning - Involves agitation of the surface being cleaned. 
  • Immersion Cleaning - Contents are dipped into a bath of the cleaning product. 

Move-Outs/Pack-Outs

If your home requires extensive restoration or cleaning, SERVPRO of Clearwater South / Clearwater Beach can conduct an organized, efficient move-out of the affected area. A move-out will provide several benefits, including the following:

  • A quicker remodeling process
  • Protecting items from potential damage
  • Protecting contents from further on-site damage

When restoration is completed, we will work with you to coordinate the move-in according to your needs. The services offered upon move-in may depend on your insurance coverage.

Electronic Cleanup

Water-damaged electronics can present a serious hazard. Do not attempt to turn on or operate any electrical device that you suspect has been damaged by water. We will coordinate the restoration of your electronics, including:

  • Television sets
  • DVD players
  • Computers
  • And more

The key to restoring electronics is taking prompt action to prevent further damage. We start by cleaning the exterior of electronic devices to help stop further corrosion and damage. Electronics will be cleaned and inspected by a qualified electronics technician.

Document / Photograph Drying

When your valuable documents, including photographs, are damaged by water, extreme caution should be taken to help ensure the water damage does not destroy the document. Although some documents may not be restored to pre-water damage condition, SERVPRO of Clearwater South / Clearwater Beach can save a great deal and help minimize additional damage. 

Depending on the type of documents and the level of water damage, we have five options for the restoration of documents:

  • Air Drying
  • Dehumidification
  • Freezer Drying
  • Vacuum Freeze Drying
  • Vacuum Thermal Drying

Contents Claim Inventory Service

When a water emergency strikes, the damage can often feel overwhelming. We can help ease the worry and confusion during the recovery process by offering our Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS), which provides a detailed and accurate list of your belongings. We take a room-by-room inventory of your contents, including digital photos, and in some instances, bar coding.

Our Contents Claim Inventory Service:

  • Preloss list and value of contents
  • Detailed and accurate report
  • Better information to settle claims quicker
  • Assistance with burden of proof for claims
  • Peace of mind when you need it most