If you have ever had a flood in your home, your first reaction is probably to try and fix the problem. You’ll likely go looking for the source of the flood, or jump in trying to save your belongings from being ruined.

However, you should look and think critically before you leap to handle your flood cleanup on your own. Consider the source of the water, and if it is dangerous, contact a professional at Swift Restoration in Layton to clean it up. How do you know if it is “dangerous,” you ask? Here are the three types of flood water and their level of danger. Not all flood water is safe to handle, and in some cases, it’s best to reach out to a professional for flood damage in Layton, UT.

Category One

Category one flood water refers to clean water that has made its way into a place it shouldn’t, and it’s nothing to be too worried about. Of course, there are the normal risks of electrocution if it’s come into contact with the lines in your home, but it’s relatively non-threatening. You can feel free to try and handle some aspects of your flood cleanup like drying surfaces with towels, etc. It is still wise to contact a flood cleanup professional to make sure everything is sufficiently dried and reduce the risk of water damage. 

Category Two

“Gray water” is another term to describe category two water, and it is something you probably want to stay away from if you can. Gray water refers to water that has some kind of chemical, biological, or physical contaminants in it. It can cause some discomfort while you are traipsing through it or it could lead to rashes or other side effects. This may not cause horrible side effects, but there is always a possibility that you could get sick from it. If you find it necessary to go through it, make sure you have dressed appropriately, but if at all possible, stay away from this kind of water and have a flood cleanup professional handle it. 

Category Three

This type of water is also known as “black water” and you should avoid it like the plague. This water is from a highly contaminated source like your sewer, runoff, or even seawater. Blackwater is almost guaranteed to make you sick if you come into contact with it, so have a professional flood cleanup crew take care of it for you. You probably don’t want to deal with sewer water anyway, so use this as an excuse if you feel guilty about not cleaning it up yourself. The best case scenario is that you would get a rash that goes away quickly, but in most cases, you could get very sick in any number of ways. 

Read About - Category 3 Water Damage

Conclusion

If you are unsure what type of water category you are dealing with in your water damage situation, then contact a professional before you do anything. Your health could be seriously affected by coming into contact with water that is contaminated. So if there is any doubt, contact the flood cleanup crew from Swift Restoration.