Protecting Contents
This material should be used to cover and protect contents from dust and debris during demolition.
plastic/poly sheeting
Furniture sitting on wet carpet should have these placed underneath its legs to prevent additional water damage or staining.
furniture blocks
Before beginning demolition, technicians should do this to contents remaining in or near the work area.
protect or move the contents
Contents sitting directly on a wet floor should generally be moved to this type of location.
a dry, unaffected area
Before moving an item that appears to have been damaged by the water loss, technicians should do this.
photograph/document the damage
During extraction, contents removed from the wet floor should not automatically be placed here just because it is convenient.
items such as a bed or other unaffected furniture
Before extracting wet carpet underneath a dresser, technicians should do this with the dresser when practical.
move it and/or block it
When moving contents from an affected room, technicians should avoid placing them in an area that is this.
wet or affected areas
Wood furniture legs sitting on wet carpet should be blocked to help prevent this type of damage to the carpet.
furniture stain/wood-dye transfer
Before relocating visibly damaged contents, technicians should capture these two basic forms of documentation.
photos and notes
A technician is ready to remove wet drywall, but the customer's TV and furniture are still uncovered nearby. This should happen before demolition begins.
move or properly protect the contents
When plastic is used to protect furniture during demolition, it should be positioned to prevent this from settling directly onto the contents.
demolition dust and debris
Contents that can easily be relocated away from an active demolition area should generally be handled this way rather than simply covered in place.
moved to a safe/unaffected area
A technician discovers a dresser with swollen particleboard at the bottom while moving it from a wet room. Before continuing, the technician should do this.
photograph and document the pre-existing/loss-related condition
After contents are moved out of the work area, technicians should make sure they are not blocking these areas needed for safe access.
walkways, exits, and work areas
During extraction, a technician picks wet clothing and boxes off the floor and piles them onto an unaffected mattress. This creates the risk of this.
secondary damage/cross-contamination to previously unaffected contents?
A technician finds several customer belongings wet on the floor. Instead of immediately mixing them with dry belongings, the technician should do this.
separate and document the affected contents
A heavy wood dresser cannot reasonably be removed from a room with wet carpet. These should be placed under the furniture legs after extraction.
furniture blocks
Demolition has already started when a technician realizes nearby contents were never covered. What important step was missed?
protecting the contents before demolition
When contents are moved because of mitigation work, photos should show not only damaged items but also this information when useful.
their location and condition before/after moving
You arrive to find two inches of standing water in a bedroom. Boxes, clothing, a dresser, and a bed are present. A technician starts throwing everything from the floor onto the bed so extraction can begin. What is wrong with this approach?
potentially damaging uncontaminated contents by stacking wet/affected items on the bed instead of separating and relocating them appropriately
A customer has several expensive furniture pieces immediately beside a wall scheduled for demolition. Name the three basic steps that should occur before demolition.
document the contents, move them when practical, and protect remaining contents with appropriate covering
During mitigation, a technician notices the bottom of a cabinet appears water-damaged but isn't sure whether the damage existed before the loss. What should the technician do?
photograph and document the condition without assuming the cause
A technician covers furniture with plastic before demolition but leaves electronics and several small items exposed on top of a nearby table. What is the problem?
contents protection is incomplete because exposed items remain vulnerable to demolition dust and debris
You enter a heavily furnished room with wet carpet that requires extraction followed by drywall demolition. Put these actions in the proper general order: demolition, protect contents, document affected/damaged contents, extraction, move/block contents.
document contents → move/block contents as needed → extract → confirm remaining contents are protected → perform demolition