How Do You Keep Kids Safe in a Water-Damaged Home?

Your initial action is to establish a clear physical barrier. Use caution tape, chairs, or closed doors to block access to wet rooms. This prevents children from wandering into standing water or slipping on damp floors. It also stops them from touching contaminated surfaces or damaged electrical outlets before cleanup begins.

Explain the situation to your children in simple terms. Tell them the area is unsafe and off-limits, just like a busy street. Assign a specific adult to supervise them if they are very young. This ensures they stay in a dry, secure part of the home away from the restoration work.

Floodwater often contains sewage, chemicals, or bacteria from outside. This 'black water' is highly toxic. Even clean water from a broken pipe can quickly grow harmful microbes. Children are more vulnerable to these contaminants because they put hands in their mouths and play on the floor. Assume all floodwater is contaminated and keep kids far away from it.

Personal items like toys, stuffed animals, or pacifiers that get wet may need to be discarded. Porous materials can harbor bacteria even after a surface cleaning. Hard, non-porous toys can be disinfected with a bleach solution, then rinsed thoroughly with clean water. When in doubt, throw it out to prevent your child from ingesting harmful substances.

If you attempt any cleanup yourself, wear proper personal protective equipment. This includes rubber gloves, goggles, and an N95 respirator mask. Children should not be present during this work. Bag all damaged porous materials like wet drywall, insulation, and carpet padding in heavy-duty plastic for disposal. This contains contaminants and prevents curious children from handling them.

The safest approach is to have professionals handle the water extraction and structural drying. They have the training and equipment to do it safely and thoroughly. This limits your family's exposure to hazards. While they work, maintain your designated safe zones and follow their safety instructions. Policies vary, and your insurer decides what is covered.