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Flood Cleanupand the  Air

in  Your Home

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation

Indoor Environments Division1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW 

Mailcode: 6609J

 Washington, DC 20460www.epa.gov/iaq

EPA 402-K-06-006

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EPA 402-K-07-002

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Flood Cleanup and the Air in Your Home

1

This booklet tells you how to clean

up after a flood and how to prevent

indoor air problems.

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2

 What can happen to the air

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3

in your home after a flood?

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4

Flood water can make the air in your home

unhealthy. This is because when things get wet for

more than 2 days they usually get moldy. There may 

also be germs and bugs in your home after a flood.

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5

Clean and dry your house and

everything in it.

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6

Mold may be more

likely to make some

people with asthma,

allergies, or other

breathing problems sick.

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7

Talk to your doctor or another

medical professional if you have

questions about cleaning or working

in a home that has been flooded.

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8

If there is a large amount of mold, you may want to

hire professional help to clean up the mold.

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9

Clean up mold and germs from the flood water. Fix 

any leaking pipes and other water problems and then

dry things, or the mold will grow again.

Clean and dry 

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10

Wear an N-95

respirator.

• Wear goggles.

• Wear gloves so

that you don't

touch mold with

 your bare hands.

• Wear long pants,

a long-sleeved

shirt, and bootsor work shoes.

 When cleaning

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11

Choose goggles without vent holes, so the mold

doesn’t get in your eyes.

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12

 Wear a respirator, an “N-95 respirator,” mask over

 your mouth and nose, so that you do not breathe in a

lot of mold. A respirator that protects against mold is

called an N-95 respirator.

N-95 respirator

N-95 Respirator

Dust Mask

Handerchiefor Bandana

 A dust mask 

or handkerchief 

 will not protect

 you because

mold can pass

through it.

N-95 Respirator

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13

Hardware stores usually sell N-95

respirators. Only use a respirator that says

N-95 on the package.

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14

Throw away 

anything that was wet with flood water and

can’t be cleaned.

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15

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16

Clean and dry hard surfaces such as showers, tubs,

and kitchen countertops. If something is moldy, and

can't be cleaned and dried, throw it away. Use a

detergent or use a cleaner that kills germs.

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17

Do not mix cleaningproducts together or add

bleach to other chemicals.

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18

Sometimes the

power goes out after a

flood. So, some people

use machines called

portable generators

for electricity during

flood cleanup.

Portable Generator

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19

The exhaust, or

fumes, from a

portable generator

could kill you in

minutes if you breathe

it in! Use portable

generators OUTSIDE

and far away from

buildings.

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20

Do not use portable generators inside your houseor garage. Do not put portable generators on

balconies or near doors, vents, or windows. Do not

use portable generators near where you or your

children are sleeping.

near a window.

Do not use a portable generator:

in your home.

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21

between buildings thatare close together.

in a garage.

on a balcony.in a carport.

Do not use a portable generator:

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22

For more information contact the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

To get  free brochures or talk to a person about indoor

air and floods, call EPA’s free hotline at

1-800-438-4318

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To get information from EPA on the Internet, go to

 www.epa.gov/iaq/flood

for this booklet and more indoor air information

 www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html

for flood information

 www.epa.gov/hurricanes

for hurricane information

23

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24

To get more information from the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) on the Internet, go to

 www.bt.cdc.gov/floods

for flood information

 www.bt.cdc.gov/hurricanes

for hurricane information

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25

Notes

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