A
flood cleanup kit helps dry out your home quickly and safely.
A flood cleanup kit helps you dry and disinfect
your sopping home before mold, mildew, and water damage make a bad situation
worse.
Unlike chlorinated water from burst pipes,
floodwater from rising rivers and downpours is contaminated with germs and
spores.
“The quicker you can clean it up, the better,”
says Jim Judge, a member of the Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. “Having
the right tools is going to make it easier.”
During flood emergencies, the Red Cross hands out
cleanup kits in selected neighborhoods. But you can make your own. Here’s what
you’ll need:
Broom
Push out water and mud quickly with a
stiff-bristled, 24-inch-wide push broom ($60-$70). Some have a squeegee
attached, which will remove any water the broom leaves behind.
Mops
Use a sponge mop ($15) to sop up dirty floodwater;
switch to a string mop ($100) to disinfect the area.
Buckets
You need two buckets: One for dirty water; the
other for disinfectant. The most economical are 5-gallon drywall mud buckets,
which you can buy ($3) or just recycle from your last wall repair project.
(Tip: Don’t throw away drywall buckets; they’re great as planters and
stools—for sitting, not standing—and for tool storage.)
Sponges
A large grouting sponge ($2 for 5 1/2-inch sponge)
spreads disinfectant into hard-to-reach places. Apply disinfectant liberally.
Chlorine Bleach
Old-fashioned bleach ($2 for 96 fl.
oz.) is the best disinfectant for flood cleanup. To disinfect floors, pour one
cup of bleach into 5 gallons of water; to clean mold from
walls, us
