subject: How To Protect Your Belongings Against Water Damage [print this page] Extreme weather, broken pipes, and faulty irrigation systems can cause all sorts of problems. The most troubling of these is damage to your home.
Basement homes, especially, frequently experience flooding. Most people use the bottom floor as an area to store special items, extra food and supplies, and furniture.
However, these items can be damaged or destroyed if they are exposed to too much water. There are many ways that you can prevent your belongings and your home from being ruined during a flood.
If you are planning on storing items in your basement or on the lowest floor of your home, and you live in a residence with older piping or in an area that experiences a great deal of precipitation, it is necessary that you water-proof all of the items that should not be exposed to liquids.
Before you store items in an area where they could be subject to ruin, try to find another place that is located higher in your home to store them. Wooden furniture, especially, will be hard to keep safe and dry if it is soaked.
If you are unable to place it any higher, cover the wooden legs with plastic wrap and stack chairs or stools upside down on top of other items. Make sure that the base is sturdy and that the wood is located at least two to three feet from the floor.
If you use your basement for food storage, there are ways that you can protect items from being damaged. If at all possible, try to purchase MREs or freeze-dried meals in bags that have been vacuum sealed and will be protected against damage.
You can also make use of lidded gallon buckets to store grains and dry, bulk ingredients. Place bags of dried foods inside of these containers.
If they are closed properly, you will not have to worry about your items getting soaked and going bad. You can purchase these buckets online or at any grocery or home store.
Another good option is to make food storage through the canning process. When you purchase produce from the store or grow it in your own garden, can it to preserve it for an extended period of time.
This will insure that the products are fresh and not contaminated when you need or wish to eat them. The process of canning also keeps your food items from going bad, and will completely secure the contents from harm.
Because you close the jars through the boiling process with special lids, no wetness will be able to reach the products inside. You can do this with fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, stews, and even some meats.
If you are unable to find or afford MREs products, you can seal food yourself. There is a great deal of different small vacuum sealants, available on the market, which offer you the option to store nonperishable food items safely and efficiently.
Place the dried fruit, nuts, grains, or other items that you wish to preserve in the bag. Then, follow the instructions regarding how to properly seal them.
If you do so properly, you will be able to keep these types of items in your basement without worrying that they may be damage by possible water troubles. There are also larger scale bags that give you the option of protecting clothing and fabrics.
All you need to do with these items is place the objects in the specific bag that you have purchased, and use your very own vacuum hose to suck out all of the air within the compartment. Once there is no air left inside to remove, seal the bag exactly as told in the instructions.
This will help keep extra clothing not in use from taking up space in your closet, but also protect them from any weathering that may occur. If your home does flood, make sure to remove the water as soon as you can.
If you are unable to remove it quickly enough yourself, there are a number of different companies that deal with this problem on a daily basis that will be willing to help you for a small fee. You could even enlist the help of your neighbors or friends.
The more you prepare for a situation like this, the less harm it will do to the items you wish to keep in good condition. Thinking beforehand and staying one step ahead of the problem will help you to be ready for a flood when it happens.
