What's the difference between water damage mitigation and restoration?

9/12/2022 (Permalink)

Blog Summary: SERVPRO of Metairie outlines how water damage restoration differs from water damage mitigation.

Your home or business can experience water damage at any time. A leaking pipe can explode and flood your basement while you are at work. Excessive rainfall can lead to floods that may enter your office, or an appliance can malfunction, leaking water everywhere.

No matter how much water damage occurs, it's essential to act immediately to clean up your home. The two terms often used to describe water damage cleanup processes are water damage mitigation and water damage restoration.

Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they mean different things.

The professionals at SERVPRO® of Metairie, a leading water damage restoration company in Jefferson, LA, have explained the difference between water damage restoration and water damage mitigation below.

What is water damage mitigation? 

Water damage mitigations are quick and sometimes temporary solutions to safeguard your property and possessions from danger while preventing additional damage.

Any professional water damage repair company will prioritize water damage mitigation over restoration. Mitigation reduces the potential for subsequent damage to your property, which can occur from various causes.

Every minute it's left unattended, the standing water in your home affects the home's foundation and the properties in the room. 

Water damage mitigation will typically involve the following:

• Removal of standing water as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.
• Cleaning and disinfecting household items.
• Removing water-damaged furniture, drywall, or floorboards from the house after a flood.
• Boarding up broken windows and damaged roofs to keep out animals and the elements.

The mitigation attempts will be less successful if this is not done within the first 24 hours of sustained damage. The usefulness of the process decreases as secondary damages develop and repair becomes impossible the longer you wait.

Without mitigation, you might spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars replacing damaged items.

Water damage restoration

Water damage restoration services are performed to fix the damage that water has already done to your property. The goal of damage restoration is to restore damaged properties to their preloss condition, as opposed to mitigation, which aims to stop more damage and lessen the overall loss.

While less urgent than mitigation, this activity is essential and must be finished immediately. The process could take weeks or months, depending on the severity of the damage.

The goal of water damage restoration is to carry out permanent fixes, including the following;

• Conducting a moisture test to ensure the water damage has been correctly addressed.
• Removing mold from the property.
• Fixing broken floorboards or walls.
• Repairing roof damage.

Although water restoration and water mitigation services can be carried out independently, the majority of professional restoration businesses will use both techniques to repair damage to a property after water damage.

Most companies start with the mitigation process before proceeding to the full restoration, depending on the severity of the water damage.

Get professional water damage mitigation and restoration services in Jefferson, LA

Are you looking for a reputable, reliable water damage restoration company in Jefferson? Look no further than SERVPRO of Metairie. They are the local leader for anything related to water damage and fire damage, with the skills, tools, and experience to get your home back to normal as quickly as possible.

They have a team of certified professionals that will quickly come to your home or business, clear out any standing water, clean, dehumidify, and dry out every bit of moisture in your home. They'll board up any damage and help you fix them to return your home to its preloss state.

The restoration professionals at SERVPRO of Metairie are waiting to hear from you. 

Call them at (504) 496-0193 to request their services or get a free quote.