Water Damaged Wood: How Important Is Quick Cleanup?

9/28/2018 (Permalink)

Air movers on a water damaged office building in Bethel, CT

If your commercial building suffered a pipe burst that led to your wood floor being water-soaked, you may be wondering how soon you should clean the wetness. Is time of the essence, or is it safe to put off any cleanup? As it turns out, there are at least three important reasons to quickly address a wet floor made of wood in order to prevent replacement.

1. Wet Wood Can Stain

Even if your Bethel, CT, business’ floor does not end up suffering any severe structural damage, there is still a very high chance that the moisture will leave behind unsightly water stains that permanently ruin its appearance. Quick drying and cleaning is key to keep your floors from looking unpleasant.

2. Moisture Increases Mold Risk

Any time that you allow a wet surface in your building to sit without being dried, cleaned or replaced, you are opening your property up to such issues as black water contamination or mold growth, both of which can snowball into other complications. These could include rotted wood or the spread of fungal colonies to other indoor surfaces. Quickly addressing wetness from the pipe burst is crucial in order to avoid such nightmares.

3. Water Can Lead to Damage

Even if your wood does not look discolored or seem to be growing mold, the water that it has sustained can lead to destruction that is beyond repair. You do not want to derail your daily work life by losing your sturdy flooring; always take the safest route by quickly putting a cleanup plan into place.

How To Approach Cleaning

The best method for cleaning your wood floor after a pipe burst is getting help from water damage specialists in your area. They understand what liquid can do to your investment, and will make every effort to dry and preserve anything that can be salvaged. They also will be able to mitigate potential mold infestation issues. Do not leave the situation to chance — contact emergency professionals so you can get back to your professional life.