Hey Chicago, Flooded Basement? Tips to Avoid the Mess

Nobody likes a wet or flooded basement. When it happens it’s important to remove water and to dry surfaces quickly. To avoid the need for professional clean up of flooded basements in Chicago or elsewhere it’s a good idea to follow the tips below. Some are seasonal, but all are worth paying attention to.

1. Remove snow piled up around your foundation. Shoveling mounded snow away from your home's foundation and exterior walls will decrease the amount of water saturation near the foundation once the thaw comes.
2. Keep your gutters clean and in good repair. Clear debris from gutters and down spouts regularly to avoid clogs that keep the gutters and downspouts from doing their job… which is moving water away from your home or business. Fix loose or misplaced sections and use down spout extensions and splash blocks to direct water further away from the foundation.
3. Make sure your sump pump is working. Don’t take the sump pump for granted. It’s often out of sight and out of mind… until it’s needed. When heavy rains strike, the nearly forgotten sump pump comes into its own, and if it is not working the result can be costly water damage to your property. If your home isn’t currently equipped with a sump pump, installing one may be a smart move.
4. Consider going as far as sand bags. In areas prone to frequent or extreme flooding, sand bags may be the only solution that stands between your home and rushing waters.
5. Remember that water runs downhill. Simple enough, but the point is to ensure that water always has some place to flow that is away from your home or business’s foundation. Water pooling next to the building is a recipe for water damage.

If all precautions fail and you find yourself up to your ankles in wet… ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons can help. We

specialize in water and flood cleanup and can quickly and effectively handle water damage clean up in Chicago and restoration services throughout the Chicago area including; Old Town, Gold Coast, Streeterville, Mag Mile, River North, West Town, Printers Row, Grant Park, the Loop, West Loop, South Loop, Near North Side, Oak Park, Park Ridge, Niles, Morton Grove, Skokie, Des Plaines, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Evanston.