How to Treat Attic Water Damage

Water damage can make its way into just about any part of your home. One such area that is prone to water leaks is your attic. Rain can make its way into your home in several ways and cause serious problems without you even knowing it. If you find water damage in your attic, you must treat it before it has a chance to cause serious damage to your home. Today we’re going to look at how to treat this kind of problem in your attic.

What Can Water Damage Do?

Before we get into how to treat attic water damage, let’s look at the damage it can cause. Usually, water damage can come from a leaky roof, damaged shingles, or gutters that won’t properly drain. Not only can water damage cause mold growth, but it can slowly ruin wood in your attic. If this goes untreated for too long, it can lead to irreversible damage. This can even cause serious structural issues in your home. You must take care of water damage in your home before it gets out of control.

Steps to Treat Water Damage

Treating water damage is a lengthy process. This is why you need to hire a professional to handle the process. Here are the basic steps to treating water damage:

Stop the Leak at the Source

This means finding what is causing the water damage to begin with. In your attic, it’s most likely a leak coming in through the ceiling. This can be from anything like a small hole to a dislodged shingle. Having clogged gutters that overflow can cause water damage as well. Get the source of the leak patched up to prevent further water damage from occurring.

Remove Excess Moisture

Any puddles of water or excess moisture need to first be removed from the area before any repairs happen. The best way to handle this is to get a shop vac that can handle water and suck up any excess water in the area. This helps clear the area for the next steps in the process.

Remove Any Water-Damaged Items

The next step in the process is to remove any items that may have been damaged. This includes things like furniture, boxes, carpeting, and any other easy-to-remove items from the area. This minimizes the amount of damage in an area and helps remove anything that could potentially grow and spread mold. Getting rid of these things keeps things more self-contained and easier to treat.

Clean and Sanitize the Area

This next part of the process requires the use of industry-grade cleaners and equipment to properly treat the area. A bottle of bleach that you bought at the store isn’t going to do the trick, no matter how much you try. Mold needs a special kind of cleaner applied to it to kill it. A professional team will be able to properly clean mold from the area.

Dehumidify the Area

Once your attic is clean and sanitized, any leftover moisture must be removed from the area. Running a dehumidifier in the area will remove moisture. This also helps prevent the further growth of mold by removing any moisture it may thrive off of.

Make Repairs

The last part of this process is making necessary repairs to the area. This includes replacing floorboards and patching up walls. It also includes tossing out waterlogged items. Making repairs is saved for last. You can’t make repairs without getting rid of the water problems first. 

If You’re Looking to Treat Water Damage, Call PNW Restoration

Do you need to have someone treat the water damage in your attic? Call PNW Restoration. We are experts in water damage restoration and are available at all hours with our 24/7 response team. We can come out at any time, assess your damage, and make the needed repairs. PNW Restoration will take care of your situation quickly and effectively. If you would like to schedule an appointment or you have an emergency, give us a call at (971) 247-3597.