How to Clean a Cement Floor After a Flood
Flood water is dirty, and it is usually contaminated with harmful bacteria. Any surface the flood water touches, including cement floors, should be cleaned thoroughly to prevent the spread of serious illnesses. Since cement is a hard surface, it can be cleaned and decontaminated; however, as it is semi-porous, you'll need to do some scrubbing. Use extra caution when cleaning up after a flood. For example, reduce your exposure to mold and germs by wearing protective shoe covers, and keep the area well-ventilated before, during and after cleaning. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- N95 respirator mask
- Rubber or vinyl gloves
- Rubber shoe covers
- Shovel
- Large plastic garbage bags
- Plastic bucket
- Detergent
- Stiff-bristled push broom
- Mop
- Household bleach
- Fan or dehumidifier
Instructions
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Wear safety glasses and an N95 respirator mask, which is a step above a dust mask and can be found at most hardware stores. Wear rubber or vinyl gloves, and shoe covers. Open windows and doors, if possible, to ventilate the area.
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Remove all items left on the floor, including mud, if applicable. To remove mud, use a shovel and dump the contents in a large plastic bag for disposal. If a lot of silt has been deposited, clean up as much as you can. This may take a while, and you may want to break this cleaning job up into two parts, removing mud one day and doing the rest of the cleaning on another day.
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Mix mild detergent (a laundry detergent or dish detergent that does not contain ammonia) with water in a clean plastic bucket. Use 1 tbsp. of detergent per gallon. Pour some of the solution directly onto the floor and scrub with a push broom.
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Mop the floor after using the push broom. Change your mop water several times (when it turns dark brown with dirt) during cleaning. When the floor looks clean, rinse out the bucket and the mop, and refill with clean water. Rinse the floor by mopping it with the clean rinse water.
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Allow the floor to dry. Dump the old rinse water out of the bucket. Mix a solution of household bleach and water in the plastic bucket. Washington State Department of Health recommends using 3/4 cup of bleach per gallon of water.
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Dip your mop into the solution and scrub the cement floor. Start in one corner of the room, farthest away from the door, and work toward the door. Rinse and re-wet the mop in the solution whenever the mop head looks dirty.
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Wait at least five minutes for the bleach solution to kill germs on the floor. You can wait longer--15 to 20 minutes--if you prefer. Rinse the floor with a damp mop. Use a fan or a dehumidifier to completely dry the floor after cleaning.
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Tips & Warnings
Prevent the spreading of harmful germs. Clean all clothes worn and equipment used once you've cleaned up after a flood.
