Cleaning After a Hurricane or Flood: Safety First

After a hurricane, the first thing you want is for your house to feel like yours again. The urge to start scrubbing is strong. But the first hours after a storm or flood are not a cleaning job. They are a safety job, and the order of what you do matters.

This guide is general, and it leans on FEMA and EPA, the sources that matter most here. It is not a substitute for instructions from local officials or your insurance company. And to be clear from the start: flood water cleanup and mold remediation are not services Sunshine Clean & Care provides.

What this post covers:

• Before you go in: is it safe?
• Protect yourself
• Document before you discard
• Dry out fast, and what to do about mold
• What to throw away, what to wash
• When to call a professional, and when regular cleaning comes in

Before You Go In: Is It Safe?

Follow instructions from local officials. Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, says to return home only when authorities say it is safe, and to pay attention to what they tell you.

• Electricity: Ready.gov warns about the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity if it is safe to do so.
• Floodwater: avoid wading in floodwater. It can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris, and downed power lines can electrically charge the water.
• Generators: use a generator or other gasoline-powered machinery only outdoors and away from windows.
• Animals: be aware that snakes and other animals may be in your house.

If you smell gas, see structural damage, or are not sure about the wiring, leave and call the right professionals first.

Protect Yourself

Cleanup is hard on the body and the lungs. Ready.gov's guidance is to wear heavy work gloves, protective clothing, and boots during cleanup, and to use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris.

• Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.
• People with asthma, other lung conditions, or a weakened immune system should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or visible or smelly mold.
• Take breaks, drink water, and do not work alone in a hot house in a Florida summer.
• If you feel sick, contact your health care provider.

Document Before You Discard

Insurance claims depend on proof. Take photos and video of every room before you move or throw anything away.

• Photograph the water line on walls and furniture, damaged appliances, and the outside of the house.
• Make a list of damaged items with approximate age and cost.
• Keep a few samples of damaged materials if your adjuster asks for them.
• Keep receipts for hotels, supplies, and any emergency repairs.

Ready.gov notes that homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flooding, and that flood coverage comes through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private policy. Call your insurance company or flood carrier early and ask what they need.

Dry Out Fast, and What to Do About Mold

Time is the enemy here. EPA says it is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. In Florida's humidity, that window feels shorter.

1. Once it is safe, open doors and windows if the air outside is drier, and use fans and dehumidifiers. Do not run the AC system if it may have been flooded or contaminated.
2. Remove wet items that cannot be dried quickly, such as soaked carpet, padding, and drywall near the floor.
3. Scrub mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and dry them completely, as EPA advises for small areas.
4. Do not paint or caulk over moldy surfaces.

EPA says that if the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet, you can in most cases handle it yourself. If there has been a lot of water damage or mold covers more than 10 square feet, or if the water was sewage or another contaminated water, EPA recommends a professional with experience in that kind of cleanup. Read EPA's mold cleanup page for the full guidance.

What to Throw Away, What to Wash

Floodwater can carry sewage and chemicals, so the safe choice is to be strict with anything that was soaked.

• Throw away: soaked carpet and padding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, and food that touched floodwater. EPA says porous materials such as ceiling tiles and carpet may have to be thrown away if they become moldy.
• Clean and dry: hard items like metal and plastic, with soap and clean water. For anything that touches food or mouths, follow your local health department's guidance.
• Ask a specialist: items of high value or sentimental worth. Ready.gov and FEMA have guidance on salvaging water-damaged family treasures and documents.

Keep photos of what you throw away for the insurance claim, and set it out for pickup according to your city or county instructions.

When to Call a Professional, and When Regular Cleaning Comes In

Call a professional for any of these: sewage or contaminated water, large areas of mold, structural damage, electrical damage, or a flooded air conditioning system. This is a job for water restoration and remediation specialists, and Sunshine Clean & Care does not do it.

Once the water is gone, the structure is dry, and the repairs are done, everyday cleaning is a different job. That is where a regular or deep cleaning helps, to deal with dust, residue on surfaces, and the general reset of a home that has been through a lot. Construction dust from repairs is its own issue, covered in our post-construction cleaning checklist.

Our client policies say that if a storm or other emergency makes it unsafe for our team to work, we will reschedule, and we do not charge a cancellation fee when we have to move your appointment. See the full policies. For general cleaning, our deep cleaning page explains what a reset covers.