09/23/2026
HOW TO STABILIZE YOUR WATER DAMAGED FURNITURE
1) Assess the construction of each piece of furniture.
a) Particleboard furniture will not be worth the restoration efforts, as the particleboard will break apart once it is dried and can hold mold and mildew, giving way to a possible health hazard.
b) Hard wood furniture can withstand these harsh conditions and, in most cases, can be restored back to pre-flood condition if treated properly immediately after being under water.
2) Once you have determined that your furniture is hardwood in construction, please follow these steps to stabilize the furniture during the times you will be focusing your attention on your home’s structure.
a) Using a garden hose, wash away all of the sediment that has settled on the furniture. If it is a cabinet piece with drawers, attempt to remove the drawers and the contents. If the drawers are stuck, you may need to remove the back of the cabinet in order to push the drawer box out, causing the least damage to the drawer box. Once you have removed the contents and the drawers, you may then rinse out the piece and the drawers as much as possible. In order to prevent or kill mold or mildew, you may use a spray bottle with a mix of 10% Clorox and 90% water; allow it to soak in, and then rinse with fresh water. Remember, it has already been wet, so you will not hurt it further. You may also remove any hardware such as drawer pulls or hinges to prevent rust from staining the wood. This procedure will also give you a chance to dry the hardware and save it for use after restoration of the finish.
b) Once you have washed away sediment and the like, you will want to air dry the piece. DO NOT USE THE SUN TO DRY WET FURNITURE!! If you have power, you can use fans to dry the piece in the carport, garage or other shaded area. Sun drying wood will cause the individual components to warp, twist or crack, making restoration efforts more complicated and time consuming. If you are without power, which is likely, please air dry your furniture in the same shaded areas. Placing it away from the house in the shaded area of the yard will give way to more air circulation, but please be sure to avoid direct sunlight.
c) Once the furniture is dry, you may want to secure a climate controlled storage locker to store your furniture while focusing your efforts on restoring your home’s structure. This will be a good time to contact a reputable furniture refinishing or restoration shop for damage assessment and the cost to refinish or restore your valued pieces.
3) There is hope for your water damaged furniture, so, in your stressed state of mind, please do not discard your cherished heirloom pieces without careful consideration to keeping these pieces and having them restored.
4) Last and very important: Do not place you furniture near the road at any time if you wish to keep it. Salvage people will likely be coming to the area to confiscate discarded furniture to sell at a future date. Place a piece near the road only if you think you will not want it later. Many people discarded furniture following the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita, only to regret it later.
George Parker is the owner/operator of Parker Woodworks, a full service professional furniture restoration shop in Lafayette, Louisiana, serving the Gulf coast since 1988. Please feel free to contact George (337-232-0306) with questions about stabilizing or restoring your cherished heirloom furniture or antiques, or view our website: www.parkerwoodworks.com.
