Flood advice from Paymentshield

With many areas of the country suffering from floods, Paymentshield is offering the following advice to homeowners affected by the rising water levels.

1. Do not touch the electrics. Your insurer should arrange for an electrician to check the electrics and, if necessary, disconnect the lower wall sockets.
2. If the weather permits open all windows during the day - the air outside the house will be less moist than that inside, so it helps to dry the house out. Turn off the heating to save energy. By mid-afternoon, the air outside will be moist, so close your windows and put the heating back on.
3. When salvaging photographs or valuable paperwork, remove excess water and keep tightly together. Leave to dry naturally and wait for advice from your insurer.
4. Although you will instinctively want to dry items as quickly as possible, do not expose them to extreme levels of heat as this could result in further damage. If your central heating is working, turn it on at a low, constant temperature so that everything dries out gradually.
5. Get hold of a de-humidifier and when the windows are closed leave one running for every two affected rooms.
6. Fridges and freezers should be cleaned out as soon as possible and any food thrown away - remember to keep a list of the food items for your claim and if possible take a photograph.
7. Store damaged furniture and fittings in a dry place - they may have a salvage value or be repairable and will certainly need to be inspected.
8. Clear out any mud or silt that has collected in airbricks. This will aid ventilation under floorboards and prevent rot. If you have a wooden suspended floor, get someone to help you lift the floorboards and ventilate underneath with a de-humidifier until properly dried.
9. Remove all soaked rubber-backed carpets and leave them in the garden, as these will have to be replaced. Leave hessian-backed carpets down on the floor to dry, as they will shrink if lifted. Once they are dry, the carpets can be lifted to dry the areas underneath.
10. If the floodwater is contaminated, contact your insurer for further advice.
11. Do not attempt to redecorate straight away - it may take weeks for a property to dry out properly. It is important to check with a decorator or other expert to ensure that the walls and other surfaces are treated to prevent mould.