Restoring Water-Damaged Electronics and Appliances: Tips for Success

When disaster strikes, it’s easy to get carried away with the adrenaline of everything that’s happening and forget about your electronics and appliances. While your safety is ultimately a priority, if you’re aware of a potential risk of severe weather, it’s important to properly prepare.

If there is a risk of flooding or a strong storm, a good rule of thumb is to unplug or disconnect any electronics you can to protect them from damage. Not only could this protect your electronics from damage, it could also protect you.

With that being said, preparation isn’t always an option. Often, disaster strikes at a moment’s notice. So, how can you restore your water-logged appliances? And what’s the best way to repair water-damaged electronics? Let’s explore some best practices when it comes to dealing with water and appliances.

Can You Still Use Appliances After Significant Flooding?

Although it may be tempting to turn your appliances on after a flood to make sure they still work, this is probably the worst thing you could do. Floodwaters can ruin the electrical components, motors, and internal mechanisms of these systems. 

This can lead to hazards such as short circuits, electrical fires, and even malfunctioning parts. Thus, touching or turning on water-logged appliances could prove to be a significant danger. 

It’s best to have a professional come assess the damage and decide if it’s safe to use your appliances. Our Lake City Restoration team is trained to analyze such damage and verify whether or not your electronics are safe to use.

How To Restore Water-Damaged Electronics

Once the scene has been assessed by a professional and is safe to enter, you can begin the process of restoration. While you may not be able to restore all your appliances or electronics, you can take steps to improve the chances for full restoration by taking these steps.

Remove Standing Water

Once you’re positive it’s safe to address standing water and the appliances, take time to remove any standing water on the premises. If there are only a few small puddles, this can be done on your own.

However, if there are a few inches of water in the area, it’s best to call in a professional to remove the water. Our experts at Lake City Restoration can effectively remove any water and restore the area to how it was before.

Turn Off Or Disconnect

When the water has been cleaned up or removed from the premises, you can start unplugging and disconnecting your electronics from their power sources. 

Restoring water-damaged electronics while they’re plugged in could be dangerous or even life-threatening. Be sure they are completely disconnected before continuing to the next step.

Thoroughly Clean And Dry Appliances

With flooding and water damage, your appliances are likely dirty and/or very wet. Take time to dry the electronics using a clean towel. This ensures your electronics will not grow mold. Avoid using warm air, such as a hair dryer, to dry appliances as it will cause more harm than good.

Once the electronics and appliances have been thoroughly dried, take time to sanitize them. Storm and flood water can bring in bacteria that will spread if not addressed properly.

Ventilate The Area

Open the windows and plug in some fans to provide proper ventilation in the area. If your home’s HVAC system has been inspected post-storm, use this system to increase ventilation in the area as well.

This allows your appliances to further dry out and keeps mold and mildew from forming where you may not be able to see.

Contact Lake City Restoration

When it comes to dealing with water damage and electronics, safety should be the top priority. At Lake City Restoration, our team is trained to know when a situation could pose a danger and how to address this. We regularly handle water damage and know what it takes to clean up your space for good.

Our expert technicians are available 24/7 to help take the stress out of managing water damage, no matter where it may be. We’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so you can relax knowing your home is in the hands of professionals.