Richmond Flood Damage Cleanup Focuses on Household Contents

Benefits of Content Pack-Out During Flood Recovery

Although structures and building materials require immediate skilled flood damage cleanup interventions after a crisis, Richmond, VA, homeowners also face the heartbreak of seeing household goods, furnishings, clothing, documents, and other often treasured possessions on the brink of ruin. Scattered and saturated belongings strewn about the flooded spaces also interfere with the water removal and applied structural drying tasks necessary to clean up the building’s damage. Soaked contents become oppressively heavy to move and reposition, taking up the time and energy of the technicians, who should focus on removing the water and drying out building materials.

Professional Pack-Out Services to the Rescue

Fortunately, the LightSpeed of Richmond West team has the resources available to divide and conquer the many phases necessary for effective flood damage cleanup of your Richmond dwelling. Our technicians obtain certification in many specialties from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). As crews scope out the job and stage the work area for mitigation and remediation tasks, they frequently recommend clearing the decks with a content pack-out for two reasons:

On-Site Flooding Cleanup

Water Damage Restoration Technicians (WRT), unencumbered by household contents, concentrate on essential flood damage cleanup tasks such as:

• Tracing the perimeter of the floodwater removal area through moisture detection and thermal imaging without false readings based on wet contents  

• Using submersible pumps to remove water deeper than two inches and extracting remaining water with truck-mounted or portable back-pack units, working freely across spaces now empty of obstructions

• Determining drying goals and setting up a drying configuration without  dealing with an excessively high humidity load linked to soaking-wet contents

Contents Pack-Out and Restoration

Contents Processing Technicians (CPT) evaluate the pack-out items to plan the cleanup and functional recovery of your valued possessions in a secure, climate-controlled space.

• Workers create an inventory, label, and pack the items. 

• Articles that appear undamaged are immediately stored.

• Our content specialists sort the remaining items. We discard any too compromised to restore and help you document for an insurance claim.  

• Then, away from the hectic pace and noise of residential flood damage recovery at your house, they assess the damage to each item and develop a plan to clean, dry, disinfect, repair, and otherwise restore the items.

• Flood cleanup strategies vary, some of which we provide directly and others we source from experienced vendors. Common strategies include:

• Wet/dry vacuums remove dirt and moisture from upholstery.

• Contained drying pods accelerate moisture evaporation from porous material, halting damaging swelling and inhibiting microbial growth.

• Appropriate washing, drying, and dry cleaning mitigate harm to clothing and other textiles, prevent the potential for mold growth, and preserve items for future use.

• A range of unique cleaning and drying interventions, including freeze-drying and sublimation, saves and stabilizes documents, pictures, and other paperwork. 

Take advantage of the resources offered by LightSpeed of Richmond West when lining up flood damage cleanup, including using our content pack-out services to secure and restore treasured possessions while facilitating the recovery of your home. Call us at (804) 335-1150 to schedule an assessment and discuss your options.