How to Clean Up Flooded Bathroom
If you’ve ever had a flooded bathroom, you know it can be a nightmare to clean up. The water usually seeps into the carpets and other areas of your home, causing a mess outside the bathroom as well.
But if there’s one good thing about a flooded bathtub or shower, it’s that there are plenty of ways to get rid of the water quickly and efficiently!
Take a look at these simple steps for how to clean up flooded bathrooms after the flood. First off, turn off all power in your house so you don’t accidentally electrocute yourself while cleaning out your outlet.
The next step is removing excess items from around the area since they’ll get wet again when the flooding starts. Finally, let the water soak for a few minutes to start breaking up the grime on the floor. Read on to know more information.
What Causes Flooded Bathroom?
1. Water Heater Leak:
If the water heater leaks, it can flood your bathroom.
2. Plumbing Leak:
If a pipe goes bad and starts leaking or a faucet has a slow drip that you overlook immediately, this could result in a flooded bathroom.
3. Overflowing Sink:
Refilling sinks regularly is necessary to avoid them overflowing.
4. Sewer Line Problems:
If the sewer line is not draining water away from your home, this could result in a flooded bathroom.
5. Overflowing Tub:
If the tub has a slow leak, you may not notice it immediately and end up with a flooded bathroom.
6. Shower Leak:
If you have a shower and it’s leaking, that could also lead to a flooded bathroom.
8 Reasons Why You Should Clean Up Flooded Bathroom:
1. You have an obnoxiously wet and soggy bathroom floor,
2. You have a claim to be made on your insurance company for flooded bathroom damage,
3. Your toilet is drained with dirty brown water,
4. Contents of the cabinet below your sink are ruined from flooding,
5. Water is pouring out of the tank of your toilet,
6. You have a nasty mildew smell coming from your bathroom,
7. Your bathtub is filled with several inches of water and soapy brown liquid,
8. You can’t bath or shower in your flooded bathroom for 8-24 hours due to toxic sewage backup on the floor.
8 Steps to Follow on How to Clean Up Flooded Bathroom:
A flooded bathroom can be terrible, but you can save time and money by taking fast and immediate action.
Step 1:
If your bathroom is flooded, you should try to remove as much water as possible. First, wipe the walls and floor with rags or towels. Then, use a wet/dry vacuum or sponge to remove any excess water. You may want to use a shop-vac with a paper filter, as the fine particulate from the regular vacuum may stick to your wet surfaces.
Step 2:
If you have flood damage in multiple rooms of your home, you will want to use a shop-vac or wet/dry vacuum to remove any water from baseboards and flooring so that mold doesn’t develop.
Step 3:
Once you’ve removed as much water as possible, mix up a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water in a bucket or bowl. Saturate your rags or towels with the mixture and wipe down all surfaces, making sure not to forget the door handles, toilet seat, faucets, and so on. This will help kill any lingering bacteria.
Step 4:
Wipe down all surfaces with your regular cleaning solution. Rinse out your bucket or bowl, then fill it up halfway with water and about 15 to 20 drops of dish soap (you can use other cleaners but not ammonia). Stir the mixture until the soap is dissolved, and saturate your rags or towels. Wipe down all surfaces, including walls, doors, door knobs, counters, the toilet seat and lid, faucets, shower/tub stall, and anything that touched water.
Step 5:
Wipe your floors with a wet rag to remove any dust. If you have linoleum flooring, it will probably be easiest to throw down towels and sleep on them overnight. Don’t walk in the area until the floor is completely dry.
Step 6:
Using a brush or roller, apply a mold-killing primer coat to all surfaces with water contact. Follow the label instructions carefully, and remember that you can always do a second coat if necessary. This will prevent any mold from surfacing by blocking the pores of your surface.
Step 7:
If you have carpets in your bathroom, hire a professional to clean them. If you clean the carpets yourself, the excess moisture will only lead to mold growth and rot.
Step 8:
Take preventative measures so this doesn’t happen again (if it does, repeat all of these steps). Do regular checks of all toilets, sinks, and tubs to ensure there are no leaks. If you suspect any problems with your fixtures or your water bill is abnormally high, call a plumber for repairs/replacement.
Tips to Maintain Your Bathroom:
Here we have given some tips on how to clean up flooded bathrooms.
1. Keep the bathroom door closed to prevent water leakage. If you don’t have a door, keep the bathroom fan on or periodically watch for overflows.
2. Check shower curtain rings regularly to ensure that water does not build up behind them.
3. Place mats or rugs in front of sinks and bathtubs to catch drips after washing your hands or brushing your teeth.
4. Use the bathroom sink instead of the shower or bathtub to brush your teeth.
5. If you have a window in your bathroom, open it during and after showers/baths to allow moisture to escape.
6. If your toilet paper holder is below the seat level, use a second holder or keep a small trash can next to your toilet to catch any drips.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Cleaning Up Flooded Bathroom:
1. Wait too long to start cleaning up (i.e., as soon as the water is shut off, or even within a few hours of the flood). By then, it’s too late, and unnecessary damage has already been done. You need to get started as quickly as possible after seeing that there was a flood and it’s already damaged property.
2. Use hot water to start cleaning. Hot water may cause the residual mold spores to become airborne, recontaminating everything you worked so hard to clean up. Instead, use cold water first and save the hot water for later when you’re ready to mop floors and disinfect countertops.
3. Cleaning nonporous surfaces with bleach. Bleach may work to disinfect porous surfaces, but nonporous surfaces such as hardwood flooring and most plastics do not allow the bleach’s disinfectant properties to be absorbed by the material they are applied to.
4. Clean only what you can see. Any hidden mold spores that weren’t exposed directly to air will still be a problem. Assume that mold spores are everywhere and clean accordingly. This means using protective equipment, including gloves, goggles, and an N-95 respirator mask.
5. Not using fans to thoroughly dry the space after doing all of your cleanings up. If possible, use industrial-strength fans or dehumidifiers to help remove any excess moisture from the bathroom.
6. Not having an action plan to prevent mold growth before it even begins after you’ve cleaned up and dried out your flooded bathroom. Ensuring there is no moisture or standing water in your home can make a big difference in avoiding future mold growth and water damage.
Conclusion:
You can clean your flooded bathroom using a wet vac to suck up the water and scrub surfaces with soap and hot water. To prevent future flooding, you should regularly check for leaks in pipes or hoses. Make sure that all plumbing connections are tight before turning on any faucets.
If you still have questions about how to clean up flooded bathrooms, please feel free to reach out! We’re happy to help answer any of your concerns so that no one else has an unpleasant experience like yours again.
Angela Ervin
Angela is the executive editor of DIY quickly. She began her career as an interior designer before applying her strategic and creative passion to lifestyle and home. She has close to 15 years of experience in creative writing and online content strategy for housekeeping, home decorations as well as other niche efforts. She loves her job and has the privilege of working with an extraordinary team. She lives with her husband, two sons, and daughter in Petersburg. When she's not busy working she spent time with her family.
