After a flood occurs you will want to immediately contact a flood restoration company. In addition to saving the flooring in your home, you may want to begin working on saving your upholstered furniture. To salvage your upholstery, American Hometown Services will share basic steps and additional important information on how you can save your upholstery after a flood.

How to Disinfect Flooded Furniture

Before you begin cleaning your upholstery after a flood, you will want to know some basic information first. To begin, you should always use a disinfectant that is approved by the EPA. EPA disinfectants will have a serial number on the label for you to check its rating. Additionally, make sure you get a disinfectant that is used for flood damages for upholstery, and that it prevents mold and mildew growth. If the upholstery got covered with dirt or mud, make sure to let the mud dry and then scrape off the dry mud before cleaning the upholstery.

How Damaged is Your Water Soaked Furniture?

When it comes to saving your furniture the task can become extremely difficult with limited options. If the water damage or flooding soaked into your furniture’s fabric and padding for an extended period of time, in most cases you will need to strip down or take off the upholstery fabric. You’ll need to dry out the furniture framing and disinfect it before re-attaching it. In this case most people will discard the furniture and buy a new set of furniture. However if the water exposure was minor and the fabric or padding wasn’t completely saturated, you have a better chance of salvaging your upholstered furniture.

Water Extraction, Cleaning, Disinfecting & Drying Sofa Cushions

To begin cleaning your upholstery you will first want to use a steam cleaner to extract as much water out or off your upholstery as possible. Hopefully it is not a lot. After removing most of the moisture out of your upholstery, use a basic upholstery cleaning solution in the steam cleaning machine. You can use a commercial product or create your own using water, liquid dish soap, and vinegar. If you create your own make sure to use distilled water and not tap water. Tap water will leave behind a white ringed stain from the minerals inside tap water. When cleaning with a steamer, clean small sections at a time and don’t over soak the upholstery. Make sure to extract as much moisture as possible before moving onto the next section. After you’ve gone over the upholstery with a cleaner once, go over the upholstery with water to rinse it out. Again, use distilled water to rinse and repeat the same sectional cleaning as before. Last, use a disinfectant cleaner. Depending on your disinfectant cleaner, you can use it in a steam cleaning machine or you may have to spray on with a spray bottle. Follow manufacturers directions when applying the disinfectant. After you’re done with the disinfectant, place fans and if possible dehumidifiers near your furniture to help dry your upholstery out quicker.

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Water Damage Restoration, Remodeling & More in Quincy, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw & East Alton Illinois | Hannibal, Missouri

If you find you need help restoring your home after a flood, contact American Hometown Services. We provide water damage restoration services to help save your home’s carpet and tile after a flood. We also offer upholstery cleaning along with many other quality cleaning and restoration services. Contact American Hometown Services today!