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<br /> <br />The walls, floors, closets, <br />shelves, contents-every <br />flooded part of your house- <br />should be completely washed <br />and disinfected. Some projects, <br />such as washing clothes, may <br />have to wait until all the utili- <br />ties are restored. Others may be <br />best done by professionals. This <br />section offers suggestions on the <br />best way to clean flooded items. <br /> <br />('....up Suppll.s <br />The Red Cross and other organi- <br />zations often distribute cleanup <br />kits after a disaster. These con- <br />tain many useful items such as a <br />broom, mop, bucket, and clean- <br />ing supplies. <br />In most cases, household <br />cleaning products will do the <br />job if you use them correctly. <br />Check the label on the products <br />to see how much to use. Some <br />products shouldn't be used on <br />certain materials; the label will <br />tell you that. Apply cleaner and <br />give it time to work before you <br />mop or sponge it up. Follow <br />directions and all safety precau- <br />tions on the container. <br />After cleaning a room or item, <br />go over it again with a disinfec- <br />tant to kill the germs and smell <br />left by the floodwaters. You may <br />also need to get rid of mildew, <br />an unwelcome companion to <br />moisture that shows as fuzzy <br />splotches. <br /> <br />('.."'''9 Tips <br />Tackle one room at a time. A <br />2-bucket approach is most effi- <br /> <br />clent: use one bucket for the <br />cleaning solution and the other <br />for the rinse water. Rinse out <br />your sponge, mop, or cleaning <br />cloth in the, rinse bucket. Wring <br />it as dry as possible and keep it <br />rolled up tight as you put it in <br />the other bucket. Let it unroll to <br />absorb the cleaning solution. <br />Using two buckets keeps most of <br />the dirty rinse water out of your <br />cleaning solution. Replace the <br />rinse water frequently. (See box <br />on page 26 for types of products <br />to clean, disinfect, and remove <br />mildew.) <br /> <br />Walls <br />Start cleaning a wall at the bot- <br />tom or where the worst damage <br />was. If you did not have to <br />remove the wallboard or plaster, <br />you may find the wallboard or <br />plaster won't come clean and <br />you will want to replace it rather <br />than clean it. If you have re- <br />moved the wallboard or plaster, <br />wash the studs and sills and dis- <br />infect them. <br /> <br />Windows <br />If you taped your windows <br />before the storm, clean the tape <br />off as soon as possible. The sun <br />will bake the adhesive into the <br />glass. If glass cleaners don't <br />remove the adhesive, try tar <br />remover, acetone, nail polish <br />remover, or a razor blade. And <br />next time,. don't bother taping <br />the windows. You don't get <br />much protection for all that <br />effort. <br /> <br />5 <br />Clean Up <br /> <br /> <br />Cleaning Supplies Checklist <br /> <br />Brooms, mops, brushes, sponges <br />Buckets, hose <br />Rubber gloves <br />Rags <br />Cleaning products <br />. Disinfectants <br />Lubricating oil <br />. Trash bags <br />Hair dryer <br /> <br />25 <br />