Cleaning Flooded Floors and Woodwork
Cleaning
1. Shovel out the worst of the mud and silt before it
dries. Use a hose if necessary.
2. Before the house has dried out ,scrub floors and
woodwork with a stiff brush, plenty of water, a detergent
and a disinfectant. Remove mud and silt from corners,
cracks, and crevices.
3. Water may have accumulated in partitions and
exterior walls. Drain these areas by removing baseboard
and drilling holes between studs a few inches above the
floor. You may need to remove sections of the wallboard
or plaster so that wall studding and interior can dry
thoroughly--a process that may take months.
4. Give floors a final thorough washing with a non-
sudsing cleaning product.
Removing Surface Mildew
1. Heat the room to a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees F.
to help dry mildewed wood.
2. Scrub mildewed floors and woodwork with an alkali
solution such as washing soda or tri-sodium phosphate (4
to 6 tablespoons to a gallon of water), available in
paint and grocery stores. Or use a cloth dipped in hot
water and a small amount of kerosene, or in a mixture of
borax dissolved in hot water.
3. Rinse with clear water.
4. Allow wood to dry thoroughly.
5. Apply a mildew resistant paint.
6. Replace badly infected wood, preferably with treated
or decay-resistant wood.
Bleaching Wood Stained by Mildew
1. Remove paint or varnish with paint remover.
2. Apply a solution of 3 tablespoons oxalic acid
dissolved in a pint of water to the stains. (Oxalic acid
crystals can be purchased at drug stores. OXALIC ACID IS
POISONOUS. Label it clearly and keep out of children's
reach.
3. Rinse with clear water.
4. Dry thoroughly before refinishing.