Basement Flooding, Continued
Mopping up the basement floor
Once the portable pumps have done their job, big puddles are all
that should remain. I've found the best way to push standing water
into the sump hole (if your basement has a sump hole) is to use a
large floor
squeegee, but if you don't have a floor squeegee handy, you could
try a shop broom.
If you have a wet/dry shop vacuum, it's time to put it to work. Be
sure to empty out the canister before you use a wet/dry shop
vac to remove the standing water. Don't forget this step! Otherwise,
you'll have to deal with a nasty gunky mess. Once again, you need
to be very careful when your working with electricity in a wet environment.
After you get the water drained to a reasonable level, you might
want to consider pouring some disinfectant on the floor. This can
help to alleviate some of the unpleasant odor that entered your basement
along with the flood waters.
Having an extra pair of hands at this stage is a huge help. One person
can use the floor squeegee or shop broom to consolidate the puddles,
while the other person wields the vacuum.
Back to: Basement
Waterproofing
