Water damage has become a common occurrence that can strike any home at any time. However, taking the right steps after the damage can help you reduce the aftermath of water damage. One of the best steps to handle water damage is by inviting water damage restoration experts in the Seattle area who will help you return your home to its previous condition.
Suppose this is your first time hiring water damage professionals; you may be wondering if water mitigation and water restoration are the same. While both terms sound similar, they are different in several ways, and understanding their differences can help you decide the best way to take care of your home after water damage. This article helps you to understand the difference between both processes.
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What Is Water Mitigation?
When water damage occurs, there’s a need to save your belongings from further damage. The process of preventing your properties from further damage is known as water damage mitigation. Professionals use specialized tools and different techniques to reduce the extent of the damage. The following are some of the techniques used in water mitigation:
- Determining the stability of the home
- Determining the extent of damage
- Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting salvageable materials
- Removing water with high-quality vacuums and pump
- Drying properties with dehumidifiers
- Removing damaged items like flooring and furniture
- Protecting the home’s structure by taking necessary precautions
What Is Water Restoration?
The purpose of water damage restoration is basically to repair and restore damages caused to properties. If you’ve experienced water damage, you should call specialists who will use different methods to rebuild and reconstruct your home and return it to its original condition. With water restoration, homeowners can easily recover from their loss. While the process of water restoration depends mainly on the extent of damage, here are some common restoration services:
- Replacing or repairing damaged properties like flooring, furniture, and walls.
- Testing for the presence of mold and eliminating it. This is called mold remediation.
- Removing floor covering
- Repairing or replacing a damaged roof.
- Testing for moisture and humidity to ensure the area is completely dry.
Water Mitigation vs. Water Damage Restoration
While water mitigation and restoration are both processes taken after water damage, they involve different processes and have the following differences:
- Time
Water mitigation is done during or immediately after the damage, while water restoration is done after water damage.
- Purpose
While water mitigation reduces the extent of damage and protects properties from further damage, restoration helps to replace or repair properties and get them back to their initial condition. Mitigation can therefore be regarded as a temporary solution, while water restoration is a permanent solution.
- Properties
With water mitigation, experts will remove properties and fix or discard them. However, when it comes to restoration, they may have to add new items to the home.
Common Misconceptions About Mitigation and Restoration
There are many misconceptions about water mitigation and restoration. However, below are the most common ones and the truth behind them:
- Handling the water mitigation process on your own is cheaper than the restoration process.
While this may be true in cases when the damage is minimal, most times, the cost of dealing with a bad repair is higher. It can also be dangerous if you’re inexperienced.
- Replacing damaged properties is more cost-effective than restoring them.
Most times, you don’t have to replace your properties. The best way to handle water damage is to allow a professional water restoration company to check the extent of damage and redeem salvageable materials. Professionals can tell you the items to replace and the ones to repair.
- You don’t have to dry your walls and carpets
Although walls and carpets may dry on their own with time, you may have to deal with moisture afterward. This is because moisture can be trapped under the materials and may put you and your family at risk of mold growth. Therefore, it’s essential to allow experts to dry your walls and carpets with high-quality equipment.
How to Know if Your Restoration Team is Effective
One major way to determine the effectiveness of a restoration team is how professionally they handle the situation. An effective restoration team will not fall for the above-listed misconceptions. They will also use high-quality equipment to remove all evidence of water damage in your home.
After completing the restoration process, an effective team will use measuring equipment to ensure that the moisture content is at an acceptable standard and there is no mold in your home.
If you’ve experienced water damage in your home, do not assume you can handle the situation on your own. Ensure you invite professionals to inspect your home and decide the best method to restore your home and properties.