Florence cut off New Hanover County for days and flooded homes as far inland as Northchase. Here is how to get a Wilmington house ready, and what to clean and not clean afterward.
People here tend to remember storms by name. The coast has been dealing with them for generations, and the most recent big one is still fresh. A little preparation can make the aftermath much less overwhelming.
This guide draws on the National Hurricane Center's record of Florence and local history. It covers what to do before a storm, what is safe to clean after one and where ordinary cleaning stops.
Hurricane Florence reached land near Wrightsville Beach on the morning of September 14, 2018. The Wilmington airport measured a peak gust of 105 mph. Winds cut electricity to over 90 percent of New Hanover County and damaged roofs, garage doors and siding on many homes. The Cape Fear River flooded parts of downtown with more than two feet of water, and floodwaters closed every access route into the county for several days.
Water reached places that do not sit on the beach. Up to 3 feet of it entered homes in Northchase, and 350 water rescues were made in Wrightsboro and Ogden. At Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, Florence cut dune escarpments up to 10 feet high. Older storms left their mark too. Hurricane Hazel struck Carolina Beach on October 15, 1954, and its beach and boardwalk had to be rebuilt.
Getting a home ready has less to do with a clean floor than with protecting what matters. Move papers, photos and electronics off the floor and away from low closets. Take pictures of each room for your insurer, because a dated record helps afterward. Bring in porch furniture and anything that can blow around, and tie down trash carts if you cannot store them.
A few simple cleaning steps make sense too. Empty the trash, wash the dishes and clear out food that would spoil if the power goes off for a long time, since a warm refrigerator with old food is a serious problem days later. If you plan to leave, turn the fridge to its coldest setting, and put a cup of frozen water with a coin on top in the freezer so that you can tell later whether it thawed.
Do not rush back in. Wait until local officials say it is safe, and watch for downed lines, gas smells and structural damage. If water has come inside, photograph everything before moving it and call your insurer. Floodwater can carry sewage and chemicals, so it should not be treated like an ordinary spill.
Porous materials such as carpet, padding, drywall and insulation that have been soaked often need to come out, and mold can start quickly in this climate, with about 45 days a year at 90 degrees or more and heavy rain through August and September. That is restoration work, not house cleaning. TotalCare Cleaning will not offer water damage or mold work, and a reputable cleaner should say so plainly.
If the home stayed dry, or once it has been dried and repaired, normal cleaning can do a lot. Wind drives fine sand and grit through gaps around doors and windows, and it often lands on sills, tracks and floors. A One-Time Deep Clean handles those well, including window tracks, blinds, baseboards and vents, and it reaches fan blades that gathered dust while the house was closed.
A long power outage leaves its own mess. Throw out spoiled food, then clean the refrigerator yourself or with help, because the inside of the refrigerator is part of the Moving Clean rather than a deep clean. Run the taps first. Let the water run clear before you do any laundry, since CFPUA flushes its lines to clear sediment.
Cleaners do not haul furniture, debris or construction waste. In the city, Wilmington asks residents to set bulky items, metal, electronics and yard waste in separate piles at the curb, because three different trucks collect them, and that is good practice even when a storm changes the usual schedule. The county's Hazwagon handles hazardous waste and electronics. Follow local announcements about storm debris after a major event.
Be careful who you hire. The North Carolina Department of Justice takes consumer complaints at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM and suggests checking out companies before major purchases. Get a written price and a business name, and do not pay the full amount up front. See the hiring guide for more.
The questions Wilmington homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Wilmington 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.
