- Assess the dampness and react to it right away. The most important thing to do is to get the water off of the floor as soon as you can. If there are places where there is standing water, use buckets or pumps to remove it, or brooms to push the water towards the basement drain. If there are areas of the basement where standing water has caused mold or mildew to grow, add some bleach to the water by pouring a capful of bleach in the water as you start to sweep it, pump it, or scoop it out. The bleach will mix together with the water and start to clean the floor.
- If you have carpet on your floor, and it is wet or damp, you have to remove the carpet and put it up to let it dry. Drape it over a chair, take it to your backyard or hang it from a clothesline. You cannot leave wet or damp carpet in your basement, because mold and mildew will grow between the carpet and the floor and it will not be safe or healthy for your family. Clean any carpet that was wet, and only replace it when it--and the basement floor--are both completely dry.
- When you have removed the water and any damp carpet, you are left with a damp floor. Set a layer of towels down on the floor first, and step on them. This will soak up any additional water. Remove those towels, and lay down a second layer of towels over the wet or damp place. Let this sit for about 20 minutes before you remove it. If you can see additional water, know of a wet spot or are getting good results, keep doing this until the towels are dry when you pick them up.
Open all doors and windows to the basement and set up as many fans as you have to blow on wet and damp areas. Leave these fans blowing for a couple of days, until the basement is completely dry.
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