Cleaning up and returning home

• Cover open cuts and wounds on exposed skin with a waterproof plaster.

• Remove all soft furnishings and fittings that are damaged beyond repair.

• Remove all dirty water and silt from the property as much as possible, including out of the space under downstairs floorboards if you have these. This may require pumping out.

• Wash down all hard surfaces with hot soapy water several times until visually clean.

• Use a domestic disinfectant, following manufacturer's directions as to concentrations, to wash over all hard surfaces after cleaning. Food preparation surfaces and storage cup-boards, refrigerators etc should be washed down with food safe disinfectants such as Milton, Dettox or similar.

• Allow to thoroughly dry - this will also help to destroy any germs left behind.

• Heating and good ventilation will assist the drying process. 

Clothing and bedding
Clothing, bedding and other fabric articles, including children’s toys, should be washed on a hot wash (60 degree centigrade) as this will destroy any germs.
Other soft furnishings which have been damaged and cannot be put in a washing machine will have to be professionally cleaned or disposed of.
Find out about disposing of bulky items of household waste. To find professional cleaning companies look in the Yellow Pages or check Yell.com (there is a link in the Related Links section).

Getting rid of contaminants
Sometimes floodwater may contain contaminants such as oil or diesel. Usually these will be removed with the floodwater and silt.
If any is left and it is in an accessible area you can remove it with a detergent solution and washing the surface down after initial cleaning has been carried out.
Where it isn’t acccessible, such as beneath floorboards, it may cause a bad smell but isn’t necessarily a health hazard.
You can seek advice from your district, borough or city council on this if the smell lingers or you are worried about your health. You can find contact details for them on our district and borough councils page.

Returning home
It is recommended you only return to live in your home once cleaning has been completed.
Additional work may also need to be carried out and you will be advised of this by your insurance company, housing officer, landlord, builder etc.
If you decide to return to your home before cleaning is complete you should: 

• try to have some heating on at all times, consider the use of a dehumidifier 

• ensure the property is well ventilated. Leave windows open as much as possible. Remember security though! 

• ensure that if you have air bricks to any under floor spaces that these are unblocked to give cross ventilation to these areas.

Food preparation and storage
Once you return home you should take the following advice to make sure you are preparing and storing food in a safe, healthy way. 

• Ensure all surfaces that food will come into contact with are sound and disinfected as above. If work tops and other areas show signs of damage, avoid food contact with these areas.
  Particularly make sure that shelves including in your refrigerator where food is stored are cleaned and disinfected. 

• Try to keep any opened food in an enclosed box or tin. 

• All crockery, pots and pans should be thoroughly washed with very hot soapy water before using. If any of these are badly chipped or damaged do not use. You could also use a food safe disinfectant e.g. Milton to sanitise them after cleaning. 

• Ensure the water taps are cleaned and disinfected before using them for the first time. 

• Take particular care in preparing food, always wash your hands before starting.