What To Do in the First 24 Hours After Water Damage

Having water pour into your home is one of the worst surprises a new homeowner can experience. The following day may feel like a haze, but what you do in that moment will dictate what you can salvage and how soon life can get back to normal.

Use this step-by-step guide to tackle the first 24 hours after water damage so you can get to work with confidence.

Is It Safe to Enter?

Before you go inside, take the time to stop. Turn off the emotion and turn on your safety thinking cap. Floodwater can conceal electrical dangers, compromised floor stability, or contaminated debris. Look for drooping ceilings or walls that have bulged outward, which could show where water is trapped.

If you notice a gas smell, remove yourself immediately and call the gas company from a safe place. Wear rubber boots and rubber gloves, because, even in clean water, bacteria could lurk. And if you have any doubts, let a professional assess if it is safe to enter. Yes, speed is important, but most importantly, your health is most important. Check this out for additional information.

Shut Off Water and Power

• Once you positively establish that it is, in fact, safe to be inside, now you want to stop the source. Find the main water shut-off valve, which will often be in the basement or in a crawl space, or next to the street. If you turn that off, you will stop any more water from entering the home.
• Next, turn off the power to affected rooms at the breaker, even if the lights seem to be on. Water and power don’t mix. If you see there is moisture on the breakers or you cannot safely reach them without stepping into the standing water, you must call an electrician first. New breakers are costly, and there is only so much time for you get out of the water and plan for an emergency water extraction, or repairs, etc.

Document Damage for Insurance

Get out your smartphone and start taking video. Start with wide angles of each room and work your way in close to all of the wet furniture, flooring and walls. In addition to photos, record a video walkthrough so the entire scene is captured exactly as you found it.

This documentation will come in handy as you go through the insurance claims process. Don’t forget to keep receipts for anything you buy for hoses, fans, & cleaning supplies and factor them into your claim; and because insurers are generally required to reimburse you for a reasonable amount of money you spend to keep your loss from growing. That’s why many of the homeowners in the area who use Brooklyn Water Damage Repair – Strictly Cleaning Restoration, also talk to them when they have questions related to what their adjuster needed and what was the time frame to file. Even if you did successfully dry the house yourself, solid documentation can help speed up your claim’s approval process.

Start Removing Standing Water

Now is the time to remove standing water. If you experience shallow flooding, you can use buckets or a wet/dry vacuum. Work from the highest point in the room away from you so when you remove the water, it will all flow towards you. For deep floods, a portable submersible pump will help get rid of the water.

Move wet rugs or cushions (easy) or small furniture outside to keep the floors breathing. Use box fans and open windows for increased air circulation (if the weather is dry). If the outdoor humidity is likewise high, you should keep the windows and or doors closed and use dehumidifiers instead. While you might see a professional crew go enter the house with professional level drying equipment and pull gallons of moisture out of your house in several hours, you can perform a strong initial start to the drying process with household tools.

Prevent Mold Before It Starts

• Mold spores (see – https://www.sternmold.com/mold-information/mold-spores.php) can wake up in 24 to 48 hours. You should strive to get every surface dry to the touch within as short a time frame as possible. Pull back the baseboards and drill small weep holes in the drywall or ask a contractor to cut out a small hole if they will mark up the bunny ears. This will help reveal hidden moisture.
• Run your dehumidifiers day and night, emptying them frequently. You can also ask contractors for inspections using moisture inspection tools, you can buy inexpensive recovery style pin-type meters, to check the moisture contents in wall studs and subfloors. You can start reconstruction when moisture levels or content readings are below a 15%. If you did experience touch damage on hard surfaces, you will need to sanitize them first with a non-chlorine antimicrobials characterized as a clean without any desired residue, because you will not then stain or make the odor present in an area worse. Contractors should be able to provide you a clear structural drying timeline so you know when you can safely make repairs.

Conclusion

The first 24 hours after the water incident can feel like chaos, however, every intentional move you made protects the integrity of your homes structure, protect your health, and will help simplify your negotiation employable with the insurance process.

You have to act on safety first and shut off the water and power. Then document everything, remove the standing water, and eliminate the opportunity for mold to take a foothold. By successfully implementing these steps, you will give yourself the best chance to restore your new home, back to a new state quickly and efficiently; and turn your stress into what now feels like a manageable project.