After water damage, stop the water, make the area safe, document the damage and start drying within 24 to 48 hours. Those four steps protect your family, your home and your insurance claim. Here is the order to do them in.
Step 1: Stop the water
Turn off the water at the fixture if you can, or at the main shutoff valve. If water is coming in from outside during a storm, move what you can away from the entry point. You can't fix a roof in the middle of a monsoon, but you can catch and redirect the water.
Step 2: Make it safe
- Turn off power to wet rooms at the breaker if you can reach it without standing in water.
- Stay out of rooms where water is near outlets or the ceiling is sagging.
- Wear boots and gloves around water that may be contaminated, such as toilet overflow or floodwater.
- Keep children and pets away from wet areas.
If water outside is moving, stay out of it. Ready.gov warns that just six inches of moving water can knock you down. Turn around, don't drown.
Step 3: Document everything
Take photos and video before you clean up. Your insurer will want to see the damage as it was. Capture:
- Standing water and how high it reached
- Damaged floors, walls, ceilings and belongings
- The source, such as the burst line or failed water heater
- Model and serial numbers of damaged appliances
Then call your insurance company to open a claim. Keep receipts for anything you spend to stop further damage.
Step 4: Start drying
The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. For a small spill, towels, fans and a dehumidifier may be enough. For anything larger:
- Remove standing water, or call for emergency water extraction.
- Pull up wet rugs and move furniture onto blocks or out of the room.
- Open cabinet doors and closets to let air in.
- Have a professional check moisture inside walls and under floors.
What not to do
- Don't use a household vacuum on water.
- Don't turn on ceiling fans or lights if the ceiling is wet.
- Don't throw away damaged items before you have photos and your insurer has weighed in.
- Don't paint over stains until the leak is fixed and everything is dry.
For full drying and repairs, book water damage restoration. If mold shows up, see mold remediation.