My bathroom flooded and the laminate floor smells.?
My small, half bathroom flooded last night with water from my washing machine and some sewer water. The main sewer line was plugged. We used a wet vac to get the water up very quickly and wiped down the floor with Colorox wipes. Will we need to use a dehumidifier? The plumbers came today and cleared the clog. Some duct work under the house will have to be replaced too because water got in it. Should I be concerned about mold too? Is this covered under my home owners insurance? I know, lots of questions. I've never had this happen before, so I want to make sure we are taking care of things properly.
Public Comments
- yes you should be concerned with mold. if this water came into contact with the walls, its possible down the road that might need to be replaced. Home Depot sells some stuff that you can spray and it will kill mold. on the floor use ammonia water to mop with. I feel for ya I have had the same problem in the past. good luck
- The places to worry about on the laminate flooring are around baseboards where water and smell tends to collect, also around the toilet and lavatory. Place a couple boxes of baking soda in the room to help absorb the odor. I would definately file a claim with the insurance company, these types of things are usually covered but are dependent on your amount of deductable.
- The substrate for most laminate flooring is not water proof and in fact can come apart if it gets wet. If your laminate floor is snap together rather than the glued type, you may have a serious problem with the laminate floor. With the snap together type, the water can permeate the whole floor substrate and absorb a great deal of water. That can lead to not only mold but also the need for a new floor. With glue together type, the problem may only be on the edges unless it has been caulked. Then you may be okay.
- you'll probably have to replace the laminate flooring keep in mind most insurance companies no longer cover mold due to all the litigation as for the clog, what caused it, tree roots? if you have ficus trees your insurance company may have yo remove them to prevent further claim based on the same thing or they might drop your from further coverage
