Key takeaways
- ✓ Shut off the power and gas before entering a flooded basement, and don't touch electrical items — call an electrician if there's significant standing water.
- ✓ Wear rubber gloves, boots and protective gear, then remove water with a sump pump, wet vacuum, and mops or towels.
- ✓ Move wet books, furniture and clothing somewhere well ventilated, and pull up soaked carpet — a carpet cleaner can tell you whether it's salvageable.
- ✓ Dry the space with fans, dehumidifiers and air conditioning to discourage mould, then scrub floors and walls with a bleach solution while wearing protection.
- ✓ If you have flood cover, contact your insurer early to find out what's covered and lodge a claim.
First things first: make it safe
Walking downstairs to find your basement underwater is a genuine shock — soaked carpet, floating boxes, furniture sitting in water. The instinct is to wade straight in, but hold that thought. Water and electricity are a lethal combination, so before you set foot in the flooded area, shut off the power and gas supply, and don't touch any electrical items. The NSW SES advises leaving reconnection of services to the professionals — so if there's a lot of standing water down there, call an electrician and a professional flood clean-up company straight away.
Once it's safe to work, speed becomes your best friend. Left unattended, a flooded basement invites serious water damage and mould — and the faster you act, the better your chances of salvaging your belongings.
Remove the water
Start the water removal as soon as you safely can. Put on rubber gloves, boots and other protective gear before you enter. A sump pump will shift the bulk of the standing water; a wet vacuum handles smaller amounts; and a mop, cloth or towels will pick up what's left. If the water is more than ankle deep — and certainly if it's several feet — don't battle it alone. A professional water damage restoration team has the pumps and extraction gear to clear it quickly and safely.
Move damp items out
Before you begin drying the space itself, get everything wet out of it — books, sofas, clothing and boxes should go somewhere with good ventilation so they can dry properly. Pull up any wet carpet too. It may well be salvageable, but that's a judgement call for a carpet cleaning specialist: they'll tell you whether it can be restored or needs replacing.
Dry the area thoroughly
Your basement now needs serious drying. Set up fans and dehumidifiers to circulate air and pull the excess moisture out, and keep the air conditioning running if you have it — all of it speeds the drying and discourages mould. Basements are exactly the kind of enclosed, poorly ventilated space where mould gets established fast after water damage, so don't cut this stage short.
Wash the floors and clean the walls
Scrub vinyl, linoleum and other hard flooring to remove the dirt the water left behind. NSW Health recommends a bleach solution of about 250ml of bleach in 4 litres of water for cleaning mould-prone surfaces — keep the room well ventilated while you work, and keep your protective gear on. Wash the walls thoroughly with warm soapy water or the same bleach solution, then run dehumidifiers and blowers to speed up drying. A HEPA air purifier can help filter mould spores out of the air. Any drywall or insulation that's been saturated should be replaced rather than dried — once soaked, it rarely recovers.
Contact your insurance company
If you have flood insurance, get in touch with your home insurer early. They'll confirm what damage is covered and walk you through lodging a claim — and the sooner it's lodged, the sooner the repairs can start.
Need a hand in Sydney or Regional NSW?
If the water's deep, contaminated, or just more than you want to face alone, One Prime responds 24/7 across Greater Sydney & Regional NSW. Our flood clean-up and water damage restoration teams will pump out, dry and restore your basement — call 1300 774 631.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to walk into a flooded basement?
Not until the power and gas are off. Water conducts electricity, so a flooded basement with live power is genuinely dangerous. Shut off the supply, avoid touching electrical items, and if there's substantial standing water, have an electrician check the space before you work in it.
How do I get the water out of my basement?
Use a sump pump for the bulk of the standing water, a wet vacuum for smaller amounts, and mops or towels for the remainder. Wear rubber gloves and boots throughout. If the water is more than ankle deep, call a professional flood clean-up company — they have industrial pumps that clear it far faster.
Can wet carpet in a basement be saved?
Sometimes. Pull it up promptly and have a carpet cleaning specialist assess it — they can tell you whether it can be professionally cleaned and dried or whether it needs replacing. The longer it stays wet, the lower the odds of saving it.
How do I stop mould after a basement flood?
Dry the space fast and thoroughly. Run fans, dehumidifiers and air conditioning to strip moisture from the air, clean hard surfaces with a bleach solution, consider a HEPA air purifier to capture spores, and replace any saturated drywall or insulation rather than trying to dry it out.
Sources & further reading
This article is general information, not medical or legal advice. Last reviewed 4 April 2019 by the One Prime Solutions team.