Is your furniture damaged due to flooding? Read on to know how you can address the situation. Floods can damage your home and belongings, especially if you don’t take action immediately. After a flood, it is important to clean up the mess and think about how to protect your personal belongings, especially the furniture. First, you need to figure out whether or not your furniture is salvageable. This essentially depends on the magnitude of flooding and the type of furniture that is affected. Since solid wood furniture is less porous, it is more likely to be salvaged as compared to upholstered or particleboard furniture. While water damage restoration should be handled by professionals, it’s good to have some idea about how to salvage your furniture after flooding. Wooden Furniture When it comes to restoring wooden furniture, you ought to know that solid wood is less porous, which is why it is subject to lesser damage as compared to particle board and upholstery. To salvage your wooden furniture, take the piece to a safe, shaded, well-ventilated and dry place. If wet wood is exposed to sunlight, it can result in warping. Take out all removable pieces such as drawers and lay them out for air-drying. Before repairing and refinishing any piece of wood, make sure they are dry. Service Team of Professionals recommends contacting a professional furniture restorer especially if the piece is of value or sentimental. Upholstery It is difficult to salvage upholstery after water damage. However, if the upholstery is only slightly damaged, the flood was not that intense, and the damaged piece is valuable or has sentimental value, you might try restoration. First, bring the piece to a dry, safe, and ventilated area to begin the restoration process. The pieces must be dried up thoroughly and quickly to prevent mildew from building up and ruining them. Consider using fans or even sunlight to accelerate the drying process. Another issue with upholstered furniture is that it rapidly absorbs contaminants that exist in floodwater that can fuel a tremendous amount of mold and bacteria growth. If that appears to be a problem, it’s recommended to contact a professional restoration service, like STOP Metrowest immediately. Based on the potential contaminants, STOP will recommend either discarding the item or contacting a reputable upholstery cleaner to try to salvage the item. Mattresses Mattresses can easily absorb moisture, fostering bacteria and mold growth. While it’s advised to discard the mattress in case of extensive damage with contaminated floodwater, you can salvage the mattress if it was exposed to clean water and for a short period of time. Begin with cleaning the surface of the mattress and then place it in the sun for thorough drying. To speed up the drying process, keep the wet side of the mattress up to that it’s exposed directly to the sunlight. STOP Metrowest is an IICRC Certified Firm - safe, quality, and compassionate service is our priority! We provide 24/7 emergency services. STOP understands the seriousness of your situation and strives to provide a rapid response for any situation in Framingham MA or other Metrowest MA communities like Sudbury MA, Southborough MA, and Wellesley MA. Call Service Team of Professionals 508-753-3780. To learn more, visit STOP Metrowest.