With all of the flooding in different parts of the world at the moment, including in the UK, it is important that we all exercise caution when cleaning up our homes to ensure our safety and good health.
It is important that you wear protective clothing such as waterproof overalls and gloves, rubber boots and a face mask if scrubbing, hosing or pressure-washing. If you are using liquids that could splash, it may also be a good idea to wear goggles too. Remember to only use pressure washing equipment in outdoor environments.
It is vital that you remember to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water after each such clean-up session and also to wash the clothes worn for cleaning up on a separate cycle from your other clothes.
Do not turn on any electrical appliances, plugs or even lights if there is a chance that your electrics may have got wet. It should be only considered safe to switch them on once they have been checked by a qualified electrician.
Be sure to keep all pets and children out of flooded areas until a thorough clean-up has been done, as they tend to touch, lick and eat anything, and this could be dangerous.
Check with your insurance first and follow their advice as to how to go about everything, but remember that it is important that all mattresses and carpets and anything else that has been waterlogged be discarded.
Sandbags tend to retain contaminants such as oils and sewage from coming into contact with floodwater. If you have any sandbags around, get rid of them by dropping them off at your local civic amenity site and advising the staff that they may have been contaminated by the floodwaters; if there is no local drop-off point, enquire from authorities where you can safely discard them. If you need to store them before discarding them, make sure that you lay them out so they can dry, preferably in direct sunlight, and store them where children and pets cannot get to them.
Remember to wear gloves at all times while handling contaminated sandbags and to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
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