Water leaks and floods can do a huge amount of damage to your home. It is not only your home that can get damaged – all the items in it can get damaged. Luckily, there is still a way to salvage and restore some items to bring them back to life. Here are some tips to help you restore a water-damaged sofa.
Make Sure Your Home Is Safe
Before you try to re-enter your home if it flooded, you need to make sure it is safe first. You also need to make sure that you are dressed properly. You may also need the help of a water restoration company, Phoenix, Arizona, to help you sort through your furniture and fix your home from water damage. At this time, you need to decide if you can salvage your furniture or not.
Assess the Damage
While it may be painful to say goodbye to some of your belongings, you will need to get rid of some of your furniture, and it may include your couch. You need to assess the damage done by water thoroughly before you attempt to salvage it. You may be able to salvage your sofa if the fabric has watermarks or is stained.
However, if your couch sat in water for more than a few hours, there might not be a chance to save it. The padding of a couch can absorb water, which means silt and mud might penetrate the padding and fabric that will lead to mildew and mold growth. Additionally, you might see cloudy wood finishes and the frame’s joints might loosen. If the floodwaters had industrial chemicals, pesticides, or sewage, you may have to discard it.
Disinfect and Clean
If your couch has a wood frame, you can use something like a chlorine bleach solution or a phenol product to disinfect it. Once you disinfected it, put the wooden frame in a place that is well-ventilated and let it slowly dry out. Do not put it under the sun – the wood will twist and warp if it dries very quickly. Until the moisture decreases, you may need to remove mildew periodically. Once it is dry, you can glue any loose joints.
As for the fabric of the couch, make sure you have the proper cleaning materials that will not damage the fabric further. If there are dirt and mud on the cloth, you can use a hose to wash it off and shake or scrape out dried mud. To avoid mold from growing, make sure you wash and rinse the fabric and padding right away. You can use a hairdryer or other drying equipment to dry out your padding. You may leave it under the sun for a while to make sure it is fully dried.
Get Rid of the Stain
For major stains, you may need a professional to remove large watermarks or stains. However, you could try a homemade solution as well. For instance, you can use watered-down vinegar or mild liquid dish soap with water to gently remove the marks.
Given that your couch is in the right state, there is a chance that you can repair it and use it again. You can follow the tips above to restore your water-damaged sofa to its former glory!
If you are looking for a water restoration company, Phoenix, Arizona with a proven track record in the field, contact ASAP Restoration today. Our team will help you bring your home or business to its pre-loss conditions.