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<br />S <br /> <br /> <br />Dry Out Your Home <br /> <br />p <br /> <br />Items Soaked by Floodwater <br /> <br />Should I Throw Thom Out? <br /> <br />_ US!1ally <br />Mattresses, pHlows <br />Foam rubber <br />Large carpets, carpet padding <br />Upholstered couches and chairs <br />Books, paper products <br /> <br />u __----.&ways u <br /> <br />Food <br />Cosmetics <br />Medicines and medical supplies <br />Stuffed animals <br />Baby toys <br /> <br />Questions About the Safety <br />of Your Food? <br /> <br />Call the USDA Food Safety Hotline, <br />1-800-535-4555 <br /> <br />Professional home economists will <br />answer your questions from 10 a.m. <br />to 4 p.m. eastern time, Monday <br />through Friday. <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br />closets or other closed areas <br />where air cannot move <br />through. Desiccants like those <br />listed below are usually avail- <br />able at hardware, grocery, or <br />drug stores. <br />. Chemical dehumidifier <br />packs used for drying boats <br />and damp closets. <br />. Cat litter made of clay. <br />. Calcium chloride pellets <br />(used to melt ice in the <br />winter). Hang pellets in a <br />pillow case, nylon stocking, <br />or other porous bag. Put a <br />bucket underneath to catch <br />dripping water. Close the <br />closet or area being dried. <br />Be careful. Calcium chlo- <br />ride can burn your skin. It <br />will also make the air salty, <br />so do not use this product <br />near computers or other <br />delicate equipment. <br />iJ Call a contractor. There are <br />contractors who specialize in <br />drying out flooded buildings. <br />They have large fat:1s and dehu- <br />midifiers that can dry out a <br />house in a few days. Look in <br />the yellow pages under Fire <br />and Water Damage Restoration <br />or under Dehumidifying. Be <br />careful about contractors who <br />inflate prices after a disaster <br />and about out-of-town contrac- <br />tors who request payment in <br />advance. <br /> <br />Be patient. Drying your house <br />could take several weeks. Until <br />your house is reasonably dry, <br />damage caused by mildew and <br />decay will continue. The musty <br />odor will stay forever if the <br />house is not dried out well. <br /> <br />Sor' Con'en'. and Dluard <br />Deltrl. <br />You have 3 types of contents. <br />They should go to 3 different <br />places: <br />. Items you want to save <br />. Items to be thrown out <br />. Garbage <br /> <br />Things You Want to Save <br />Move things you want to save to <br />a safe, dry place, such as the sec- <br />ond story or outside. The longer <br />they sit in water, the more dam- <br />aged they become. Don't leave <br />wood furniture in the sun <br />because it will warp as it dries. <br />To save an area rug, lay a sheet <br />or some other material on top of <br />it before you roll it up so the <br />colors will not bleed. Clean it <br />promptly <br /> <br />Things You Don't Want to Save <br />Put things you don't want to <br />save outside to dry until the <br />adjuster comes to confirm your <br />losses, Take pictures or video- <br />tapes and list each item for the <br />record. If you are not sure <br />whether to throw something <br />out, decide whether it is worth <br />salvaging by checking the infor- <br />mation in Step 6. <br /> <br />Garbage <br />Get rid of food and anything <br />else that could spoil or go bad <br />immediately Don't let garbage <br />build up. Garbage piles will <br />cause yet another health hazard <br />by attracting animals and <br />insects. If your insurance <br />adjuster has not come, tell your <br />agent or adjuster that you need <br />to get rid of potential health haz- <br />ards. That person will tell you <br />