How Jacksonville households can prepare a home before a tropical storm and clean up safely after one, using the lessons of Hurricane Irma's record St. Johns River flood, and where cleaning stops.
Jacksonville is a river city as much as a coastal one. When a big storm stalls offshore, the danger is often water pushed up the St. Johns and its creeks, not only wind at the beach. That lesson came home in September 2017.
This guide covers what to clean and organize before a storm, what a household can safely clean afterward, and the point at which a home needs a water restoration company instead of a cleaner.
After Hurricane Irma passed on September 11, 2017, the St. Johns River rose to a record 5.57 feet in Jacksonville. Water filled downtown streets and reached homes across the city, including in San Marco across the river from downtown. Two days later Black Creek in Clay County crested at a record 30.52 feet, flooding neighborhoods well inland.
The pattern matters for cleaning. Flooding here can reach homes miles from the ocean, and the wettest months of the year are already the summer ones, with June and September each averaging more than 7.5 inches of rain. A home near the river or a creek should plan for water at ground level, not only for wind.
Good storm prep starts with a clean, uncluttered house. When a watch is posted, there is little time to dig through a packed garage for a flashlight or move boxes off a floor. A few tasks done early in the summer make the scramble much smaller.
Once the home is dry, the power is safe and local officials say it is clear to return, the ordinary cleanup can begin. Wind-driven rain, tracked mud and outage grime are normal cleaning jobs. Wear gloves and closed shoes, and open the house to fresh air as soon as it is safe.
A regular cleaning visit can handle dusty surfaces, muddy entry floors, kitchen counters, bathrooms and the refrigerator after a power outage once spoiled food has been bagged and thrown out. A One-Time Deep Clean adds baseboards, blinds, vents and fans that took in dust while the house was closed.
Floodwater is not clean water. It can carry sewage, fuel and chemicals, and it soaks into drywall, insulation, carpet pad and cabinet bases where no surface cleaning can reach. After a flood like Irma's, anything that sat in water needs a water restoration company, and often a call to your insurer, before any cleaner should work in the room.
That includes standing water, wet or swollen drywall, soaked carpet, a musty smell that keeps coming back, and any visible mold growth. Cleaners do not tear out materials, dry structures, treat mold or carry storm debris out of the house. Once the restoration crew has finished and the room is dry and rebuilt, a Moving Clean or a deep clean can take the home the rest of the way.
Black Creek's record crest in 2017 was a reminder that Clay County neighborhoods, including those near Fleming Island and Doctors Lake, sit on a network of creeks and wetlands that feed the St. Johns. Pace Island, for instance, was built near Doctors Lake under rules that set aside more wetland preserve than required. Living close to water like that is part of the appeal, and it is also a reason to keep ground floors uncluttered from June on.
Even without a storm, the summer months stress a Jacksonville home. About 80 days a year top 90 degrees, and the city sees about 76 days with measurable rain. Keep gutters clear, run bathroom fans, wipe up tracked water at doors, and watch for slow leaks around windows after heavy downpours. A leak caught early is a cleaning job; one found months later is a repair.
The questions Jacksonville homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Jacksonville and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
