March on the Sunshine Coast means the tail end of storm season, and this year has been no exception. Between the rain events in February and the tropical low that brushed the coast earlier this month, we’ve had more post-storm cleanup calls in the past six weeks than in the entire second half of 2025.

Storm cleanup isn’t the same as regular cleaning. The priorities are different, the risks are different, and getting the order wrong can turn minor damage into major problems. Here’s the checklist we follow when we’re called into a property after severe weather.

Safety First — Always

Before you start cleaning anything, do a basic safety check.

Electrical hazards. If there’s standing water in your home and the power is on, don’t enter the water. Call Energex (13 12 53 on the Sunshine Coast) to disconnect power before entering flooded areas. Even a few centimetres of water can conduct electricity from submerged power points or damaged wiring.

Structural damage. Walk around the outside of your home first. Look for obvious structural issues — leaning walls, sagging roof lines, cracked foundations, or fallen trees resting on the structure. If anything looks structurally compromised, call the SES on 132 500 and don’t enter until it’s been assessed.

Contaminated water. If floodwater has entered your home, assume it’s contaminated. Floodwater on the Sunshine Coast typically contains a mixture of stormwater runoff, sewage overflow, garden chemicals, and whatever was in the path of the water flow. Wear rubber gloves, closed shoes (not thongs), and ideally a face mask when handling flood-affected items.

Step 1: Document Everything

Before you move anything, take photos and video of all damage. Walk through every room, photograph water marks on walls (noting the height), damaged items, and any visible mould or debris. This documentation is critical for insurance claims.

The Insurance Council of Australia recommends documenting damage before cleanup because insurers need to assess the extent of original damage, and cleaning up before they can inspect may complicate your claim. Call your insurer as early as possible and ask whether they want to send an assessor before you begin major cleanup.

Step 2: Remove Standing Water

The longer water sits in your home, the worse the damage gets. Mould can begin growing within 24-48 hours in the Sunshine Coast’s warm, humid conditions.

If the water is shallow (under 5cm), towels and a wet-dry vacuum work fine. For deeper water, you’ll need a submersible pump or a professional water extraction service. Most equipment hire places on the Sunshine Coast — Kennards, Coates — stock submersible pumps and wet-dry vacuums for daily hire.

Once the bulk water is removed, use fans and dehumidifiers to dry the space. Open windows and doors if the weather allows — but only if outdoor humidity is lower than indoor humidity, which on the Sunshine Coast isn’t always the case. A dehumidifier is often more effective than ventilation in our climate.

Step 3: Remove Damaged Materials

Some materials can be saved after water exposure. Others can’t, and trying to save them creates worse problems.

Remove immediately: Carpet and underlay that’s been submerged in floodwater. The underlay acts like a sponge and will harbour bacteria and mould indefinitely. The carpet itself may be salvageable if it was only wet with clean rainwater and is dried within 48 hours, but floodwater-soaked carpet should go.

Remove if saturated for more than 48 hours: Plasterboard (gyprock) that’s been wet for more than two days. It loses structural integrity and becomes a mould incubator. You’ll usually need to cut the plasterboard at least 30cm above the water line to remove all affected material.

Usually salvageable: Hardwood timber flooring (it may warp but can often be dried and re-sanded), solid timber furniture (dry slowly to prevent cracking), and metal or plastic items (clean and disinfect).

Probably not salvageable: Particle board furniture, MDF shelving, mattresses exposed to floodwater, upholstered furniture saturated with contaminated water.

Step 4: Clean and Disinfect

Once water is extracted and damaged materials are removed, every surface that was in contact with floodwater needs cleaning and disinfecting. This is non-negotiable if the water contained any sewage, which it almost certainly did in an overland flow event.

Our process for flood-affected surfaces:

1. Initial wash. Scrub all hard surfaces (floors, walls, countertops) with warm water and detergent to remove visible mud, debris, and organic matter. This step is about removing the bulk contamination.

2. Disinfect. After the initial wash, disinfect with a solution of 10ml of household bleach per litre of water. Apply to all previously submerged surfaces and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing. Note: this is one of the few situations where we recommend bleach. For regular cleaning, we use eco-friendly products, but post-flood disinfection requires the antimicrobial strength of sodium hypochlorite.

3. Dry thoroughly. After disinfection, ensure complete drying before replacing any materials. We typically run industrial dehumidifiers for 3-5 days in flood-affected Sunshine Coast homes, depending on the extent of water intrusion and the construction type.

Step 5: Mould Prevention

This is where most DIY cleanups fall short. The water is gone, the surfaces look clean, but three weeks later, black mould appears on the walls, in cupboards, and behind furniture.

Mould prevention after a water event requires sustained low humidity for at least 7-10 days. Keep dehumidifiers running. Check behind furniture and inside wardrobes. Monitor the bathroom and laundry, which are already high-moisture areas that become problem zones when the whole house has elevated humidity.

If you spot mould within the first few days, treat it immediately with a vinegar solution (undiluted white vinegar, sprayed on and left for an hour before wiping). Early mould is surface-level and relatively easy to remove. Mould that’s been growing for weeks penetrates deeper and may require professional remediation.

When to Call Professionals

Minor storm cleanup — leaf debris, shallow clean-water intrusion, gutter clearing — is manageable for most homeowners. But if you’re dealing with any of the following, professional help is worth the investment:

• Floodwater that contained sewage
• Water intrusion that affected more than one room
• Standing water that remained for more than 24 hours
• Visible mould growth on walls or ceilings
• Damage to HVAC ducts (which can spread mould through the whole house)

We work with several restoration companies on the Sunshine Coast and can either handle the cleaning component ourselves or refer you to a full restoration service depending on the severity.

Storm damage is stressful enough without adding a botched cleanup to the list. Get the order right, document everything for insurance, and don’t cut corners on drying — it’s the step that prevents the worst long-term consequences.