You may be curious about the differences between restoration and mitigation if you have a restoration crew coming to your home to fix damages caused by flooding or fire. It is possible that you have hired a restoration company to assist you with damage from an emergency or natural catastrophe. But, you aren’t sure what mitigation and restoration mean.
They are distinct, but they are integral parts of restoration. Many novices in restoration often underestimate or minimize the importance of mitigation. This can have serious financial consequences.
Some insurance plans only cover the cost of mitigation. It is important to know what mitigation is, and how it can help preserve your Washington DC property after a flood or fire. Your insurance claim may end up costing you twice, three, or even ten more than it would have been if mitigation was done correctly.
For Washington DC restoration services, 911 Restoration has got your back. Whether it’s fire, smoke, mold, or water damage restoration, you can count on them to get the job done. Call 911 Restoration of Washington DC today.
Mitigation
Mitigation should be prioritized above restoration. Any professional service can help you do this. Mitigation can reduce the chance of secondary damage to your building. This could be caused by many factors. Residual smoke and soot from a fire can seep into furniture and carpets, causing damage and health problems. Mold or mildew could spread if water or sewage has leaked into the home.
You can cause more damage to your business or home if you don’t act fast enough. You can mitigate the damage by plugging holes, disinfecting, cleaning, and boarding broken windows to keep animals out and the elements out, as well as using roof tarps.
Other mitigation options include the removal and removal of any debris (such as branches or loose roof shingles) from the property, removal of moisture and reinforcement of weak structures to prevent them from falling.
The mitigation efforts will not be effective if it isn’t done within 24 hours after the damage has been incurred. The value of mitigation efforts will decrease the longer you wait before secondary damages set in. Restoration becomes impossible. You could end up spending hundreds, if not thousands, more to replace damaged items than you would on cleaning them and repairing them.
Restoration
While mitigation prevents further damage and decreases overall loss from a disaster, restoration is about restoring damaged items to pre-disaster conditions. Although this is not as important as mitigation, it is essential and must be done quickly. This process can take several weeks depending on the severity of the damage.
Common Misconceptions about Restoration and Mitigation
Mitigation and restoration services are often viewed as more costly than replacing damaged structures and items. This is a common misconception. Most disaster damage can be reduced and restored for a fraction of the cost of replacing everything. A professional restoration team will save what is salvageable and replace any that isn’t.
A dangerous misconception is that carpets and walls with water damage will dry naturally, which would eliminate the need to hire mitigation services. Although wet items may dry naturally over time, carpets and furniture can trap moisture in their materials. Mold can grow within 24 hours of water damage. Professional equipment and certified specialists can ensure that your property is dry. This will reduce the likelihood of mold growth.
Many people believe it is cheaper to do the mitigation and restoration themselves than to hire a professional. It is not difficult to see that some homeowners are skilled in restoring and mitigation of their properties. A mistake in this process could lead to more expensive and lengthy repairs.
It can be very dangerous to try and repair or mitigate damages. It’s safer to hire trained water damage restoration professionals to handle this task than to risk your health or well-being trying to do it yourself.
How to tell if your restoration team is reducing effectively
Professional teams won’t succumb to the misunderstandings described above. It is dangerous to try and dry equipment in a place with water damage. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the walls or carpets feel dry. Mold and mildew can grow deep within a structure, causing damage to walls and other items. This can lead to a larger mold claim than a simple water damage claim.
The restoration team must use testing and measuring equipment in order to determine if the moisture content of the building is within acceptable limits. Only then can a professional mitigation team remove drying equipment.
A thorough cleaning of your business or home after a fire is required to remove any acidic elements that may have been present in the smoke and soot. If these elements are left in items’ fibers, they can cause significant damage to your property as well as harm to your health.
Factors That Can Impact the Cost of Restoration and Mitigation
These services can be expensive due to many factors. Water damage that is not caused by contaminated water will be less expensive than those caused by toxins or sewage. Because damages are more severe, the time it took for the property to be exposed to flooding or fire can also impact the cost of restoration. It is also important to consider the accessibility of the affected area, which can increase the cost of restoration.
A professional team will inspect the damage and provide an estimate of how much it would cost to repair it.