After a Flood: What to Throw Away and What You Can Save

Federal guidance is direct: throw away anything that was wet with floodwater and cannot be cleaned and dried completely within 24 to 48 hours. That covers mattresses, carpet and padding, upholstered furniture, pillows, stuffed toys, books and paper, plus any drywall and insulation that floodwater touched. Hard, nonporous items can usually be cleaned and kept, and some solid wood furniture can be restored.

Safety before cleanup

Get into the house only when it is safe to do so. The CDC’s advice for reentering a flooded home:

• Never turn power on or off, or use an electric tool or appliance, while standing in water.
• If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows and leave the house immediately. Do not turn on the lights or do anything that could cause a spark, and notify the gas company, the police or fire department, or the State Fire Marshal’s office.
• If the home is damaged, do not reenter until a building inspector has examined it.
• Never run a gasoline engine, including a portable generator, inside a home, basement, garage, carport or porch, or less than 20 feet from a door, window or vent.

A cleanup guide written jointly by the EPA, HUD, FEMA, the National Institutes of Health and the CDC says to wait to re-enter until professionals tell you it is safe, with no structural, electrical or other hazards. It adds three points. Photograph the house and your belongings and contact your insurance company before you start. Wear at least an N-95 respirator, goggles and protective gloves. And keep some people away altogether: those with asthma or other breathing problems, those with weakened immune systems, and children, who should not take part in disaster cleanup work.

Assume the water was contaminated

Floodwater carries more than water. The same federal guide warns that it may have carried sewage or chemicals into the house, which could expose your family to viruses, bacteria, disease carriers such as mosquitoes, and parasites, as well as mold.

Time matters as well. The EPA’s flooded home guidance says that if you could not dry the house and its contents within 24 to 48 hours, you should assume mold is growing. The CDC adds that a flooded home closed up for several days should be assumed to have mold.

Health effects are a matter for a physician. The CDC’s advice is to seek immediate medical attention if you become injured or sick, and the federal mold guide notes that health problems that get worse after you return home, such as asthma or allergy attacks or skin or eye irritation, may mean mold is still present.

What to throw away

Anything porous that floodwater soaked and that cannot be cleaned and dried quickly. The CDC’s list:

• mattresses and pillows,
• carpeting, carpet padding and rugs,
• upholstered furniture,
• stuffed animals and baby toys,
• foam-rubber items,
• books, wall coverings and paper products,
• cosmetics.

Drywall and insulation. The CDC says to remove and discard drywall and insulation contaminated with sewage or floodwater. North Dakota State University Extension gives the practical version: remove drywall and laminated paneling at least to the flood level, and more where the board has warped above the waterline. It adds that water-soaked insulation should be removed and replaced because it can hold water for months.

Food. The Food and Drug Administration says not to eat any food that may have come into contact with floodwater. Containers that are not waterproof must go, including those with screw caps, snap lids, pull tops and crimped caps, cardboard juice, milk and baby formula boxes, and home-canned foods.

What you can often save

Hard surfaces and sealed metal containers can usually be cleaned.

Canned food. The FDA says undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches, the flexible shelf-stable pouches, can be saved. Its steps: remove the labels if they come off, brush or wipe away dirt and silt, wash the containers with soap and water, and rinse with safe water. Then sanitize them, either by boiling for 2 minutes or by soaking for 15 minutes in 1 cup of unscented household bleach (5.25 percent concentration) mixed with 5 gallons of water. Air dry them for at least 1 hour before opening or storing, and relabel them, including the expiration date, with a permanent marker.

Hard surfaces. The CDC recommends cleaning all wet items and surfaces thoroughly with hot water and laundry or dish detergent. It also warns never to mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner.

Furniture. NDSU Extension says solid wood furniture can usually be restored unless the damage is severe, though it will probably need cleaning, drying and regluing. Wood veneer furniture is usually not worth repairing unless it is very valuable. Flood-soaked upholstered furniture should usually be thrown away unless it is an antique or quite valuable, and only a professional should clean it.

Appliances. NDSU advises having a service technician check flooded appliances before you run them.

Keepsakes. For photographs, documents and heirlooms, the federal mold guide points to conservation guidance from the Smithsonian Institution.

Walls, floors and the heating system

Walls have to dry from the inside before they are closed up. NDSU warns that walls can feel dry to the touch while the material inside is still wet, and that drying the inside of a wall can take weeks or even months. Plaster should not be repaired until the walls are completely dry, and after extensive flooding NDSU says that can mean waiting four to six weeks, or even several months.

For floors, NDSU says wood floors should be dried gradually, since sudden drying can crack or split them, and vinyl flooring and floor tile may need to come up so the subfloor can dry. Carpet soaked by contaminated floodwater should be discarded unless a commercial facility can sanitize it.

Leave the heating and cooling system alone. The EPA says that if floodwater reached any part of the ducts or equipment, do not use the system to dry the house until a professional says it is safe. It adds not to turn it on until cleanup, drying and needed repairs are complete.

When to call a professional, and what to ask

The federal mold guide is candid that flood cleanup may be too difficult or dangerous to do yourself. For inspection and remediation, it suggests a professional affiliated with or certified by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) or the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC), and it notes that your state may also regulate mold remediation. An electrician can confirm the wiring is safe, and a heating and cooling professional should check any equipment and ducts that were underwater.

The same guide says sampling for mold is not usually recommended. A careful inspection of the finished work, with no remaining mold odor, is usually the appropriate check.

Questions worth asking a restoration contractor:

1. Where drywall comes out, will the cut stop at the flood line or go higher where the board has warped above it?
2. How will you confirm that framing and wall cavities are dry before they are closed?
3. What will you use to clean and disinfect framing and hard surfaces?
4. Will you photograph and list what you remove?
5. Does the community require a permit, or a review of how much the building was damaged, before rebuilding?

That last question matters in mapped flood zones. FEMA advises every owner to check with local building officials about permits before starting repairs, and a building that the local official determines to be substantially damaged must be brought into compliance with local floodplain management rules.